


Every Flavour Beans

by forestgreen



Category: Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
Genre: Drama, M/M, Manipulation, Mistaken Identity, Polyjuice Potion, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-05-30
Updated: 2003-05-30
Packaged: 2018-08-11 01:46:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 41,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7870768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forestgreen/pseuds/forestgreen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scenario 52 in HP/LM FQF: Lucius uses Polyjuice to pretend he is Draco. While at Hogwarts he finds out that his son is involved with Harry Potter. The more time Lucius spends around Potter, the more he falls for the boy. Then, during sex, Lucius reverts back to his actual self, how does Harry take the news? What does Lucius do to keep from losing Harry?" Eileen</p>
            </blockquote>





	Every Flavour Beans

**Author's Note:**

> **Author's notes:** Many, many thanks to Serenity and Hijja for taking the time to beta this story. Special thanks to Leni_Jess for doing such a thorough second beta. All remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
>  **Caveat reader:** This is the first story I ever wrote, almost fifteen years ago. It was written before the release of Order of the Phoenix and only complies with canon until Goblet of Fire. When I look at it today, it's hard for me to see past its flaws. There are many things I would write differently. However, this is the story that opened fandom for me, and thus it will always hold a special place in my heart. I hope some of you still enjoy it.

Every Flavour Beans

|   |    
  
  
  
"You might as well spare yourself the trouble, Father. I won't do what you ask. Furthermore, I won't join the Dark Lord!"  
  
"Pardon me? What did you just say?" Lucius' voice was deadly quiet, but his eyes were like the lightning before the storm.  
  
Draco wasn't intimidated. He was his father's son after all. He himself had used that tone of voice and that very same look to frighten his schoolmates on countless occasions.  
  
"I said that you might as well spare yourself the trouble of talking to your Master about my initiation. I don't have any plans to bow down to an insane half-blood. Let alone call him Master. That might have satisfied your ambition when you were my age, Father. But by Slytherin, it certainly doesn't satisfy mine! This is my life, and I'll do with it what I want!  
  
"And I don't have any intentions whatsoever of spending the last terms of my sixth year digging around for information about Hogwarts' defence system, so that your Master might follow through with his megalomaniac ideas. If I'm not the one who's going to rule the world, then nobody else shall do it either."  
  
It was the first time Draco dared to defy him. Lucius Malfoy was torn between pride and rage. He was proud to see his son start to break free from him to become his own person; a person Lucius helped to shape. He was enraged to realise that despite his best efforts that shape wasn't fulfilling its master's expectations.  
  
Until that day Lucius had seen Draco not only as a continuation of the Malfoy line. More importantly, Lucius saw Draco as a continuation of himself, another Lucius Malfoy who would stay behind when he was gone. For the first time he was confronted with the hard truth that Draco, though he might have several traits in common with him, wasn't Lucius Malfoy.  
  
" _Stupefy_!" In the end, rage won. Draco had made a critical mistake. It was too soon for him to defy Lucius. He should have waited until he was powerful enough. Or at least, he should have been prepared for Lucius' retaliation. Never underestimate your opponents. It was a lesson Lucius had been trying for years to imprint in his spoiled son's mind. What a twist of fate that ultimately, his son's overconfidence would be the key to his advantage. 

* * *

  
  
"By Salazar! I thought we'd never be left alone." Blaise Zabini said after the last of the Slytherins had gone to their respective rooms. "So, spill it!"  
  
"Zabini, I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about," said Draco, haughtily.  
  
"Right, and tomorrow I'll announce in the Great Hall my secret love for a Mudblood Gryffindor. What happened to you over the Christmas holidays? You've been acting oddly since you arrived today. I want to know what's going on!"  
  
Draco's eyes hardened imperceptibly. He shifted his position gracefully, so he could assess Zabini's expression better. "What do you mean by odd?"  
  
"Well, let's see. It might be that you've asked Crabbe for help with your Ancient Runes' homework, even though you know he was sorted into Slytherin because of his hatred for all things Muggle and certainly not for his cunning mind. Provided he has a mind, that is. We're in our sixth year and I have yet to confirm that theory.  
  
"Or maybe it is the fact that you've been calling me Zabini instead of Blaise. Or the fact you have managed to be nice to Pansy of all persons. And if that wasn't enough, it's been seven hours since you arrived and you have yet to make any comment about Potter. In the six years we've known each other, you've never spent more than three hours without mentioning him one way or the other."  
  
"Well, Blaise, it's so good to know you care. However, I fail to see how anything that might, or might not, have happened to me during the holidays is any of your business. Why don't you go some other place with your concerns and leave me alone." Draco's voice had a hard edge to it, which Blaise had never heard before.  
  
It was the voice of someone used to being obeyed. Blaise knew that Draco was used to that, but usually Draco's authority came from the well-known fact that messing with the son meant messing with the father. This time, Draco's voice carried a different meaning: 'Mess with me and _I_ will make sure that you regret it'.  
  
Whatever happened to Draco over the holidays had changed him. The person sitting in front of him wasn't a spoiled child always used to getting his way, but a powerful adversary. One who was a threat all by himself, regardless of who his father was. Draco had grown up, and the result was dangerous.  
  
"Very well then, have it your way. But don't forget that we have a Quidditch match against Gryffindor on Friday. I hope that whatever happened to you, if something happened at all," he added hastily when he saw Draco's darkening expression, "didn't interfere with your Quidditch abilities. We're tied with Gryffindor for first place. This is our chance to defeat them, and your chance to beat Potter."  
  
"Don't worry, Blaise. Potter won't stand a chance against me." Draco's smile was that of a predator about to make his kill. It made Blaise shiver.  
  
"So you keep saying," Blaise murmured to himself before leaving Draco alone in the Slytherin common room. 

* * *

  
  
Hours after Blaise has gone, Malfoy still sat in the Slytherin common room, watching the flames dance in the fireplace. Absently, he took one Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean out of his pocket and put it in his mouth, grimacing a little at the foul taste. Pretending to be Draco was turning out to be easier than expected.  
  
It was a faultless plan; Lucius was sure. He'd behave like the son of a faithful Dark Lord's follower. At the same time, he'd look for Hogwarts' weaknesses. And soon enough word of Draco's unwavering loyalty would reach You-Know-Who's ears.  
  
Lucius wasn't so nave as to believe that his son was the only Death Eater child the Dark Lord used to gather information. And since he already knew most of his son's subjects by heart, he could use his time to find out as much about Hogwarts' wards as possible.  
  
Obtaining his Lord's permission to absent himself from the upcoming Death Eaters' meetings had been easy enough. He told the Dark Lord that one of his contacts had informed him of Dumbledore's attempts to contact the Vampires. As if on cue Lord Voldemort ordered him to go to Romania and guarantee the Vampires' loyalty. Officially Lucius Malfoy wasn't even in Britain.  
  
The Dark Lord gave him a period of six months to take care of the issue. It was a well-known fact among dark wizards that vampires had a very rigid Code which they followed. A mortal arriving in a colony would have to make himself available as a free blood-donor for at least five months. Otherwise he or she would be killed or turned immediately. Wizards were no exception.  
  
What the Dark Lord didn't know was that those rules --like many others-- didn't apply to Malfoys. Centuries before one of Lucius' ancestors had closed a pact with the current leaders of the vampires' colonies in Romania. The magical binding contract warranted the vampires' support to the Malfoys for generations to come.  
  
Actually, during Voldemort's last reign it had been Lucius who had convinced them to support the Dark Lord. This time wasn't going to be any different. Dumbledore was wasting his time contacting the undead. It wasn't a question of Light or Dark, but a question of Malfoys and their political interests. Complying with his Master's orders wouldn't take Lucius more than a week.  
  
Once he found out everything related to the school's wards, Lucius would free his son from his temporary confinement. Nobody would find out about Draco's disloyalty. After his Master had taken over, his son would see the error of his ways. Malfoys were nothing if not opportunistic. He knew that Draco would go with the winner, no matter what. Lucius only had to show his son who the winner was going to be.  
  
Meanwhile, he would play at being Draco. Thanks to Zabini's tips he could further improve his performance. The problem with Crabbe Junior had come as a surprise and a small set back. Crabbe Senior had been very talented in Ancient Runes. Lucius himself hadn't taken that subject, and he had counted on the son's help to get through it. Now he'd have to spend some time in the library getting acquainted with the topic.  
  
All in all, there was nothing to be too worried about. He really shouldn't have been that surprised. With a wife like Diviana Filch it was to be expected that their son would turn out an idiot. By Slytherin, her brother was a Squib! That was just as bad as having a Mudblood in the family.  
  
As for comments about Potter... he could arrange to insult the boy on a regular basis easily enough. That dreadful child had destroyed the Dark Lord time and again, hindering Lucius' chance of gaining even more power. He had also made Lucius look like a fool by stealing his servant and disrupting one of his best plans. A plan designed to destroy Arthur Weasley's position within the wizarding community. Bringing back a young and malleable Dark Lord had been just an added bonus.  
  
It was time for payback. Potter was in for a nasty surprise! He was a much tougher player than his son could ever dream of being and he wasn't only referring to Quidditch. 

* * *

  
  
Friday things at the Quidditch pitch were in full motion. All spectators were already there, waiting impatiently for the game to begin. Three quarters of the crowd wore Gryffindor colours and the other quarter Slytherin green. The Slytherins were using amplifying charms on their voices. Thanks to that their cheering was loud enough to compensate for the other houses' lack of support. The players were in position. Madam Hooch whistled and suddenly the pitch was just a blur of red and green.  
  
Malfoy flew high above the pitch, trying to get used to his new body. When he was a student at Hogwarts, Slytherin had won the Quidditch House Cup invariably for the six years he had played on the team. Only after he left school did Gryffindor have the opportunity to win a match. Many said it was because of James Potter's addition to the Gryffindor team. Lucius was convinced that his absence was the real reason behind Potter's success. Now he was about to prove to himself the truth of that statement, if not with the father at least with the son.  
  
After years of Apparating and using Floo Powder to travel he had forgotten the incredible pleasure that flying always gave him. He moved around the field with the ease of an experienced flyer and the natural grace of a Malfoy. He tested his broom and his skills for a few minutes, before he started to look in earnest for the Snitch.  
  
On the other side of the pitch Potter was watching him with a strange look on his face, as if assessing Malfoy's skills himself. With a wicked smile Malfoy sped toward him. It was time to show that annoying brat what Lucius Malfoy was capable of doing.  
  
From the stands people could see Malfoy and Potter flying incredibly fast and high above the pitch, game completely forgotten, as the two of them flew like one, brooms and legs impossibly near, trying to knock each other off.  
  
"You're in for a surprise, Potter!" Lucius said, pushing him.  
  
"I would be disappointed if I wasn't. Why Malfoy? Did you learn some new moves over the holidays?" Potter didn't look impressed, but Lucius swore to himself that he would change that soon enough. 'Never underestimate an enemy, Mr. Potter,' Lucius thought.  
  
"You could say that," Lucius drawled in that superior tone that was as much a trademark for him as for his son. "By the time I'm through with you, you won't know what hit you!"  
  
"I'll be looking forward to that, Malfoy. I hope Quidditch is not the only thing you're referring to!" Potter smirked at him, and turned around abruptly, before Lucius had time to grasp the meaning of that comment. 'What the hell?' was Lucius' last thought before he too started searching for the Snitch.  
  
Colin Creevey's voice could be heard commentating on the game. "Slytherin scores and the game is now 60 to 30, Slytherin leading. Ginny Weasley is in possession of the Quaffle! This is the opportunity Gryffindor was waiting for.  
  
"Harry Potter, Gryffindor's star Seeker, is still looking for the Snitch. Malfoy really doesn't stand a chance against his incredible talent. He has already received three offers from different professional European Quidditch teams. The last edition of 'Quidditch through the Ages' considers him one of the best Seekers of the century. Look how he flies! His control of the broom is just amazing! Look at him circling the pitch!"  
  
"MR. CREEVEY, could you please go back to the game. Mr. Potter isn't the only player on the field!"  
  
"Ah... yes, sure...Sorry about that Professor McGonagall. The game is now 60 to 40. Ginny managed to score before. And now Blaise Zabini is in possession of the Quaffle. He shoots, but Ron Weasley catches the ball and throws it back to his sister. Well done, Gryffindor! And look at Harry. He's flying dangerously near to Malfoy, not that that would be a problem for such a great player. The Snitch hasn't made its first appearance yet. Otherwise, Harry Potter would undoubtedly have caught it already. Such talent! Look at h..."  
  
"MR. CREEVEY, THE GAME!"  
  
"Sorry, sorry. It won't happen again! Crabbe throws a Bludger at Ginny Weasley! She manages to avoid it! Slytherin is in possession of the Quaffle again. Baddock- Pritchard- Zabini- Baddock again and he scores! 70 to 40, Slytherin leading! Every player is giving his or her best, but none compare to Harry Potter..."  
  
Lucius tuned out Mr. Creevey's biased comments and McGonagall's protests. From the corner of his eyes he saw Potter flying a couple of feet to his right, still looking for the Snitch. With a smirk that had made many men crumple in fear before him, he decided that it was time to show everybody, especially Potter and Mr. Creevey, who was the better Seeker.  
  
Malfoy gave a small triumphant cry --loud enough for Potter to hear-- and dived with lightning speed toward the ground. He wasn't aware of Slytherin cheering screams, or of Creevey's voice in the background, who was too perplexed by the fact that Malfoy had seen the Snitch before his precious Potter. His whole being was centred in the delicious thrill of speed, the adrenalin pumping through his body, and Potter, behind him, getting nearer and nearer, and gaining in speed with each passing second. In the last possible instant before colliding with the ground Lucius pulled back his broom and shot off.  
  
At once he heard the deafening screams of the crowd again. That had been one of the things he had missed most about Quidditch --Lucius Malfoy's infamous Wronski Feint. There hadn't been a Quidditch season where he hadn't done it. Just as there hadn't been an opponent Seeker able to fly unharmed out of it.  
  
They never knew when he was feinting and when he had really seen the Snitch, and that had been their doom. He turned around with a satisfied sneer to the spot where he knew Potter would be sprawled on the ground, blood covering everything, surrounded by worried teachers and team mates alike. No one, nobody was there. Creevey's voice pulled him out of his shock.  
  
"By the beard of Merlin! Malfoy was feinting! It was a Wronski Feint, but Harry Potter managed to avoid crashing just in the last second! What control! Any other Seeker would have collided full force trying to stop the broom, but Harry didn't lose his nerve. WHAT A MANOEUVRE! What a Seeker! Take that Malfoy!"  
  
McGonagall did not bother correcting Creevey this time, Malfoy noted, still shocked at the thought that for the first time ever another Seeker had managed to outsmart him. Lucius turned around. His silver eyes were devoid of their trademark superiority while he watched Potter flew towards him. Malfoy hid his growing respect behind a mask of arrogance and prepared himself for a verbal confrontation, but boy managed to surprise him once more. He had been awaiting anger or at least smugness, not the happy smile that confronted him.  
  
"Wow! Draco, that was superb! What a rush! You weren't kidding when you told me you'd learned some new moves. Not even in my wildest dreams did I expect something this brilliant. I really thought you'd seen the Snitch before I did! Ha, serves me right for chasing blindly after you, although my instincts were screaming at me that the Snitch wasn't there. Merlin, I hadn't a clue that you could fly so well. Where were you hiding that talent?"  
  
Malfoy's eyes narrowed dangerously. The last thing he needed now was a Gryffindor with his curiosity piqued, especially if that Gryffindor was Harry Potter. Today was the second time in his life he had underestimated Potter. It wasn't a mistake he was going to repeat.  
  
"Not that it's any of your business, Potter, but my father was considered the best Slytherin Seeker in the last century. He didn't want me to destroy his reputation by becoming a better player. I could hardly go against his wishes, especially with him always watching the games. But he isn't here today. Moreover, I stopped caring about what he wants or doesn't. This is my life and I do with it what I want!"  
  
The fact that he was stealing his son's words made it all more credible. Besides, Potter didn't know Lucius well enough to know that having two Malfoys considered the best players of the century in Slytherin House would have pleased him far more than having only one, even if it meant sharing the fame with his son.  
  
He saw Potter's eyes shine with a mixture of understanding and, was that pride? What did Potter have to be proud of? The boy was a complete mystery to him. One that under other circumstances he would have enjoyed exploring. However, he had to remember his priorities and understanding the changing emotions behind those green eyes wasn't the reason why he was at Hogwarts.  
  
"I'm glad that you finally realized that you and your father are two different entities, Draco," Potter said, entering his personal space as if it was his right.  
  
Manoeuvring his broom, so that he could get even closer to Malfoy, Potter seized Lucius' left arm, exactly over the place where his Dark Mark would have been and murmured in Lucius' right ear, "It would be a pity to see you throw away your life for a madman who doesn't appreciate his servants. I've seen how Voldemort treats his followers and even a house-elf under your father's control would get more recognition for its work. And I've seen how your father treats his house-elves!"  
  
With that, Potter let go of his arm, and giving him a playful smile said, "So, let's tear your dad's fame to pieces! In a hundred years from now they will still be speaking of this game! What do you say? Are you up for a real challenge?"  
  
Malfoy nodded shortly, still a little perplexed at the feelings that Potter's breath and the fleeting brushes of his wet tongue against his ear had awakened. He saw Potter fly off in the opposite direction and cursed his bad luck. He had forgotten what being sixteen was like, with all those rampaging hormones on the loose.  
  
It had to be hormones; there was no way that he, Lucius Malfoy, could find a Gryffindor --any Gryffindor-- attractive. Deciding that he would think about it later, Lucius turned his attention back to the game.  
  
Potter was right about something, though. This would probably be his last Quidditch game ever. Back when he was a seventh year, he had been too preoccupied with his upcoming elevation to the Dark Lord's ranks to fully realize how much he would miss Quidditch once he left school. This time he could correct that mistake, though. He ate one of the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans he always kept in his pocket and decided to allow himself not only to act sixteen, but to be sixteen.  
  
He soared across the pitch looking for the Snitch, while monitoring Potter at the same time. His last thought before he let himself be caught by the thrill of the game was, 'Hogwarts, here I come again!' 

* * *

  
  
The game went down in the history of Hogwarts as the first tie for the Quidditch Cup in over two centuries. It lasted ten hours and thirty-seven minutes, before Harry Potter --in one incredibly risky move-- jumped from his own broom to Malfoy's. In a whirl of cloaks and out-of-control brooms Harry Potter managed to get the Snitch fractions of a second before Malfoy did.  
  
It was a first in the history of Quidditch that someone used his opponent's broom as support for his own manoeuvres. As it was, despite Slytherin's wild protests, there wasn't any rule that forbade it. As long as the Seeker didn't purposely try to stop his opponent's broom, there wasn't any rule that forbade a player to touch it. Potter hadn't slowed down Malfoy's broom. On the contrary, with the added weight, the broom increased its speed even more.  
  
Slytherin had been leading the game by exactly 150 points when it happened; partly due to the undeniably better quality of its Chasers and partly due to the team's well-known practice of playing dirty. Ever since Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet had left Hogwarts the year before Gryffindor hadn't been able to find Chasers as talented. It was only thanks to Harry Potter's uncanny ability to get the Snitch, that they'd been able to remain champions.  
  
This time however, Malfoy had changed the odds. And though in the end he hadn't caught the Snitch, even the Gryffindors were willing to admit that if it weren't for him they would have been able to win the match.  
  
The Slytherin captain had not only hindered Potter from catching the Snitch on more occasions that one could count, but had also come in many instances dangerously close to catching the Snitch himself. Malfoy gained precious time for his team, which had allowed Slytherin to lead by such a large margin.  
  
It was probably the first time since becoming a Seeker that Potter had had to try actively to stop his opponent from catching the Snitch first. Usually it was the other way around, with his opponents trying to stop him.  
  
Five hours into the game Colin Creevey had been forced to admit that Malfoy was probably _almost_ as good a Seeker as the Boy Who Lived even though, in his opinion, only the darkest of magic could be behind such an unprecedented sudden increase of talent.  
  
Professor McGonagall made him apologize immediately after that last comment, but only because she had already --two hours before-- discreetly cast a charm that allowed her to know if Malfoy was under the influence of enhancing spells.  
  
Even Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had thrown away years of house rivalry --maybe not as strong as Gryffindor's, but present nonetheless-- and after the first three hours of the game, started to cheer as much for Malfoy as they did for Potter. With the sole exception of the exhausted players nobody wanted the game to end. They were enjoying the show way too much for that.  
  
By the time Potter managed to catch the Snitch, the only light illuminating the pitch was the _Solis Videri_ charm cast by Professor Flitwick hours before. The worn-out players dismounted their brooms at Madam Hooch's whistle.  
  
Afterwards, it was clear to the Slytherins that Potter hadn't broken any Quidditch rules. Yes, it was an unknown manoeuvre until then, but valid none the less. Yes, Gryffindor had won the 150 for catching the Snitch first. No, Madam Hooch wouldn't change her mind. And no, she didn't care if they raised the matter with the Department of Magical Games and Sports.  
  
Gryffindor and Slytherin were officially tied for first place.  
  
Deafening cheers and cries left the crowd of spectators. The pitch was suddenly invaded by crimson and green cloaks pouring down the stands. Potter and Malfoy were carried towards Professor Dumbledore, who stood with two identical Quidditch cups with the names of all players engraved, Gryffindors' names in red and Slytherins' in green.  
  
After they were put back on the ground, Harry Potter approached Malfoy and congratulated him in front of the whole school for a game well played. He offered the Slytherin Captain his hand, which Malfoy shook after the barest of hesitations. After that, to everyone's amazement, he took off his Quidditch cloak and offered it to Malfoy as a token.  
  
Malfoy gave him a calculating look. Then, with the same grace and arrogance that had always characterized him, he accepted the offering and took off his own cloak and handed it over to Potter. Still looking at each other, half in respect, half in challenge, they put on the rival's colours. Afterwards, Malfoy nodded almost imperceptibly to his team's members in a silent order for them to follow his example.  
  
A lonely clapping interrupted the almost eerie silence that followed the exchange of cloaks between Gryffindors and Slytherins. The crowd turned to see Headmaster Dumbledore applauding, seconded moments later by Professor McGonagall. Professor Snape joined them shortly after, giving a hard look to the members of his House, who hurried to follow his example. Only then did the whole school applaud and cheer. Soon after, nothing could be heard over the noise. 

* * *

  
  
Lucius woke up feeling drowsy and extremely tired. He must have displeased the Dark Lord somehow, was his first coherent thought. Merlin, he hated being at the receiving end of the Cruciatus Curse.  
  
But something felt different. Usually he felt magically drained after such an ordeal. However, he only felt the physical pain still lingering in his overtaxed muscles. Then he remembered where he was: Hogwarts. Not Cruciatus then, but ten hours on a broom chasing after a Snitch. Not one of his brightest ideas. He should have let that blasted boy get the Snitch to begin with. At least then he would have lived happily ever after in the knowledge that he was the best Seeker. Now he knew better.  
  
Funny, he normally associated gold and power with the Snitch, but now the first thing that came to his mind was tousled black hair, a challenging lopsided grin and Slytherin-green eyes; Potter. He had lost to Potter, again. It really shouldn't have surprised him so much. The boy constantly led people to underestimate him, an excellent survival trait.  
  
He was starting to understand the Dark Lord's obsession. It was very annoying to be defeated over and over again by a mere Gryffindor. His inner voice reminded him that this Gryffindor had used his own broom as a tool to win; that in itself was a very Slytherin thing to do. He wondered if Potter was even aware of it. After all, that was a Slytherin's specialty. To find out what were the most trusted tools of one's adversaries and turn them against them when least expected. Wormtail was a fine example of that principle.  
  
Yes, very Slytherin indeed! Potter never ceased to amaze him. Then again, no Slytherin in his right mind would fly a broom without hands, using his feet as his only support and then jump to another moving broom. At least not while flying at high speed and being almost 40 feet away from the ground. No matter how promising the rewards.  
  
And in the end it came down to that. Only a Gryffindor would dare to do something so utterly crazy. Where did that leave Potter? The boy combined Slytherin's cunning and resourcefulness with Gryffindor's bravery and recklessness. He was devious enough to plot the most daring plans and foolish enough to carry them through himself.  
  
If that was the case, he should be extremely careful around the boy during his stay at school. It wouldn't be good to arouse his suspicions. Then again, maybe he was giving more credit to Potter than he deserved. Better safe than sorry, Lucius had underestimated the boy before, and the Quidditch game was only the latest proof of the deplorable consequences of such mistakes.  
  
Wincing slightly he checked his watch. It was way past lunchtime. That surprised him. Usually he didn't sleep so well. Even at the Manor he was too wary of possible unpleasant surprises or unexpected calls of the Dark Lord to rest properly. Then again, Hogwarts always gave him a certain sense of security. Maybe because the last time he had slept here he hadn't had any worries beyond O.W.L.s, N.E.W.T.s and sometimes Gryffindors. All in all, the best moments of his life were undoubtedly tied to the walls of the school. It felt more like home than the Manor ever did.  
  
He decided to go to the kitchens and get something to eat from the house-elves, rather than wait until dinner. Getting out of the Slytherin common room took more time than he thought possible. There was an annoying number of Slytherins waiting to congratulate him for his victory. They were downright pitiful. Especially considering that he hadn't won at all. He didn't point that out, though. From his team members' reactions and comments, he gathered that none of them really expected him to hold Potter back for such a long time, let alone almost beat him.  
  
It was just another thing in which Draco had turned out to be a disappointment. The boy couldn't do anything right. It was probably Narcissa's influence. Too bad that the contract signed with her family didn't allow him to file for a divorce until the first twenty-five years of marriage were over. And that provided he never had betrayed her with another witch or wizard. They had insisted very much that last clause. At that time he had had a reputation to be reckoned with.  
  
Not that such an insignificant clause had stopped his pursuit of sexual gratification. He was a Malfoy after all and nobody stopped him from doing something he wanted. He just had needed to find more subtle ways of achieving his ends. With a small smirk, almost bordering on nostalgic, Lucius took one Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean out his pocket and ate it. He didn't know how Narcissa had solved her problems, but he hadn't slept with her again after finding out that she was pregnant. She couldn't prove that he had been unfaithful though --not for lack of trying-- but she wasn't cunning enough to outsmart him.  
  
Marrying Narcissa had been a strategic step in his quest for power. Not only did she belong to a very old family, but her father had been very high in Voldemort's ranks. Her being the only heiress of a considerable large fortune had just been an added bonus. He didn't regret his decision.  
  
Draco wasn't everything he had hoped for in a son, but the boy still had potential. He only needed to wait one more year and he'd be able to get rid of his wife once and for all. After that, he'd take the boy under his care and eradicate his mediocrity. The Malfoy blood in him had to be powerful enough to counteract any weaknesses that he might have inherited from Narcissa's side of the family.  
  
With those thoughts in mind, Lucius wandered towards the kitchens. He planned to spend the weekend studying Ancient Runes. He decided to brew a strong concentration potion. With its help he would be able to catch up with the other students in two days. After that he would dedicate every free minute to investigate Hogwarts' wards. 

* * *

  
  
A very angry Lucius Malfoy stormed through Hogwarts' corridors. He hated school! Somehow he had forgotten how annoying studying and doing homework could be. Let alone 'showing the appropriate respect to his elders'.  
  
Lucius was seething at McGonagall's cheek in telling him, _him_ , that his dog hadn't been properly transformed. So, what if it hadn't been barking and running around? It still looked like a dog, albeit a sleeping one. It was a huge improvement over the stone it had originally been. It didn't get better than that.  
  
He still couldn't quite grasp that the idiotic woman had taken 70 points away from Slytherin and given him a detention. Only because he had told her she was an annoying Gryffindor with an attitude problem he would be more than happy to correct. After all it was the truth.  
  
He had thoroughly idealized what being sixteen was like. Not only were schoolwork and overbearing teachers already grating on his nerves, but Potter was driving him crazy too. The maddening boy didn't lose an opportunity to watch him out of those bedroom eyes of his. Every now and then he would see Potter licking his lips in a way that made Lucius want to jump him. He craved to ravish that enticing mouth until the lips were swollen red and pliant. He wanted to fuck the boy hard and fast until he begged for mercy, for more, for Lucius.  
  
He cursed under his breath when he realized that he was hard again --a rather common occurrence of late. He tried to get his body back under control. He hated Hogwarts, and above all, he hated Potter. 'Do you really?' asked a mocking voice inside his head. He wasn't really surprised when even his inner voice sounded suspiciously like Potter's.  
  
He wanted to kill someone, preferably McGonagall, ideally Potter. But anybody else would do too. He wasn't feeling particularly picky. As long as he was allowed to put them under Cruciatus first he would be happy. He missed the feeling of absolute power that using Dark Magic brought. The Dark Magic alarms inside Hogwarts were the only thing stopping him.  
  
He arrived in the Great Hall and sat down at his usual place at the Slytherin table. Potter was already there, sitting near his two sidekicks. He closed his eyes and tried to remember how the boy had looked that graveyard, screaming and twitching under Cruciatus. However, in his imagination it wasn't a hard floor under the boy, but the softness of his four-poster bed. Potter was screaming and twitching in the throes of pleasure, not of pain.  
  
His traitorous body responded to that image with an intensity that frightened him. He couldn't let himself become attracted to the boy. As a true Slytherin he did whatever it took to get what he wanted. If Lucius decided he wanted the boy, he knew that nothing would stop him until he had had him, not even the Dark Lord.  
  
He wasn't too sure about what his master's reaction would be to his wanting the boy. Potter was probably the only point at which his master's cold-blooded, rational mind failed, leaving only place for obsession.  
  
Silver eyes met green eyes.  
  
Lucius' behaviour wasn't much better. Maybe the Dark Mark linking him to Voldemort was responsible for this sudden madness. Then again, his interest in the boy was of a very different nature.  
  
If this was only the beginning of his second week of school, he didn't know how he was going to survive a month. He decided to start his investigation immediately after his detention. The sooner he was out of Hogwarts the better. An owl landing in front of him interrupted his thoughts. He took the proffered message and read it.  
  
_Tonight after your detention. Third floor corridor, usual place. Don't leave me waiting again if you know what's good for you._  
  
It wasn't signed. Apparently his son had failed to mention at home that he was having some sort of affair. He should have known better though. Draco was good-looking. One of the few things he had inherited from Lucius. With a tired sigh Lucius realized that he would have to go to this 'usual place'. He didn't want to arouse unnecessary suspicion. Spurned lovers had a tendency to become unpredictable, especially Slytherin ones. His quest was going to have to wait another day.  
  
He felt Potter's eyes on him again. He couldn't resist licking his own lips with yearning, unconsciously imitating Potter's pink tongue. The boy had the gall to smile at him, while his eyes kept that predatory look Lucius was starting to get familiar with.  
  
His body reminded him almost painfully of its needs. With the last shreds of his control he managed to tear his eyes away. Maybe an affair wouldn't be such a bad idea. If nothing else, it would take the edge off and he would be able to think rationally again. If he was lucky, his son's lover might even have black hair. 

* * *

  
  
He knew what he was going to ask the Dark Lord once they had conquered Hogwarts. He wanted McGonagall. And he wanted Filch. He would make them scream until they didn't remember anything else, until the oblivion of death looked to them like a blessing. A blessing he would deny them over and over.  
  
He had spent two hours on his knees, scrubbing dirty floors, without magic, like some sort of house-elf. His only palliative had been his imagination. He had come up with very creative ways of avenging himself on McGonagall and Filch. While thinking murderous thoughts he tried to concentrate on 'not thinking' of creative ways to fuck Potter. Rather useless if his hard-on was something to judge by.  
  
Suddenly, he found himself in front of a portrait of Salazar Slytherin. He realized that his feet had taken him to the abandoned secret room in the third floor corridor he discovered when he was a fifth year. He had told Draco about this room one year ago. It was a good place to meet other students unnoticed by the professors. He assumed that this was the 'usual place' mentioned in the mysterious letter.  
  
"Pure-bloods rule," he said to the portrait with the ease of someone used to being obeyed.  
  
"Oh, yes! We all strive to achieve that goal. It's been a long time since anyone said that to me. The youth of today is more interested in shagging than anything else. Not that I'm complaining, mind you," said Salazar's portrait without moving an inch.  
  
Damn! His son must have changed the password. "Slytherin. Dragon fire. Dark Lord. Snitch. Quidditch. Fuck-place. Love-shack." The portrait remained in its place, regarding him with such condescending Slytherin superiority that he wanted to curse it. He kept trying password after password with growing anger.  
  
"Tell you what! If you let me sell tickets to the other portraits interested in watching the show the two of you put up I'll let you in," offered Slytherin with a greedy gleam in his eyes.  
  
"Tickets?" asked Lucius incredulous.  
  
"Well yes. I'm sure I can get quite a high price. After all, we portraits don't have too many sources of entertainment. Now, if I were still alive I would join you, of course!" he said wistfully.  
  
"I could never convince Godric to try such interesting positions," Slytherin continued speaking. "The stupid fool was so boring! Of course, there was that one time when I slipped an aphrodisiac in his drink that made him lose his inhibitions. It would have been great if he had come to me to satisfy his needs. Instead he went to a Mudblood! When he came back to his senses he confessed that he had always had a secret kink for having sex the Muggle way.  
  
"After that, you can understand why I didn't want any more of those Mudbloods in the school. Godric was mine. But that's irrelevant now. As soon as my heir takes care of all the Muggles and Mudbloods, Godric will come back to me. I'm sure."  
  
"Are you telling me that every Dark Lord in existence has been trying to kill Muggles and Mudbloods because Godric Gryffindor betrayed you," asked Lucius, flabbergasted.  
  
"Well, yes! Nobody takes what is mine! Why did you think they were doing it, then?"  
  
"Because pure-blood Wizards are better than a bunch of Mudbloods, of course!"  
  
"Not if what Godric told me is true. He said that they were _better_ and definitely _bigger_! I had no other choice but to kill the competition, engorging charms only last so long," said Slytherin gloomily.  
  
"Look, I'm not interested in your pitiful affair with Gryffindor. The original reasons are not important. The only thing relevant is that once the current Dark Lord triumphs, wizards will rule the world, as it is our due. Those are the real reasons nowadays, and not some scorned love affair." 'At least I hope so,' he added silently. "Now, open!" ordered Lucius.  
  
"Are you going to let me sell tickets?"  
  
"Forget it!"  
  
"Then I'm not letting you in without the right password," said Salazar vindictively.  
  
"I don't remember it! Let me in this instant, or I will burn you to ashes."  
  
"We are very forgetful of late, are we not?" murmured a low voice near his ear. Lucius jumped back, wand ready, eyes scanning the empty corridor.  
  
"Who is there?" he asked with self-confidence. "Show yourself!" His only answer was a low chuckle to his right. " _Visibilis_!" Nothing happened.  
  
"So, that's how you want to play it. I wondered why you didn't come, but this explains it. If you want to play rough, you only needed to ask. _Expelliarmus_!"  
  
Lucius' wand left his hand and disappeared at some point to his left. He was still thinking about what to do when the voice spoke again. " _Stupefy_!" was the last thing he heard before blackness overtook him. 

* * *

  
  
Lucius woke up feeling a bit dizzy. He opened his eyes but everything around him remained as black as before, a blindfold. He tried to move, but his hands had been tied down. He took a calming breath, letting his rational mind take control. It wasn't the first time he had been in a desperate situation. He wasn't a Death Eater for nothing. He could get out of the bonds holding him. It would take time and effort without his wand, but it could be done. First he needed to assess the current state of affairs, though.  
  
Either the mysterious rendezvous was a set-up or his son was caught up in a relationship that involved power games. The latter seemed more probable, even if it came as a surprise. It could also be a trap, but if someone had realized that he was an impostor Lucius would already be in a cell at the ministry or subjected to blackmail.  
  
He decided to let the other person know he was awake. After that he would play it by ear. If it was only a boy playing at being masterful Lucius would have to show him what a real master looked like. His cock jumped at the idea.  
  
"Well, it looks like my little Dragon has woken up." The voice sounded strangely familiar, although Lucius couldn't quite place it. He felt the bed shift as another body slowly covered his. The ghost of a breath brushed his lips, teasingly.  
  
"You've been a very bad boy, Draco. I think you'll have to be punished. Not only have you been ignoring me for the last week, but you also left me waiting during the weekend. It wasn't very nice of you, especially after you made me so hot during that Quidditch match. Punishment is most definitely in order," a low, husky voice said.  
  
Before Lucius could say anything a ravenous mouth was devouring him. A hard punishing tongue forced its way in, plundering him, leaving him breathless, forcing him to surrender. Soon Lucius wasn't aware of anything else but the hot demanding intruder claiming him. He yanked at his bonds, torn between his desire for more and his need for control.  
  
The kiss could have lasted minutes or hours. Lucius didn't know. There was only that mouth and what it could do to him. He heard someone whimper, only barely aware that the sound was coming from him.  
  
He thrashed about in frustration as the moist tongue stopped its plundering to travel south. He wanted more of those hard demanding kisses. His aborted request turned into a moan when teeth latched onto his collarbone and then nibbled their way forward until they reached the sensitive skin of his exposed armpits.  
  
He screamed when callous fingers twisted his nipples cruelly. He arched into the contact when the hot mouth soothed the pain caused by the fingers. His nipples were stiff. His cock twitched and bobbed, hardening in response to the rough treatment. He was on fire.  
  
"Stop" and "more" had become his new mantra. He uselessly tried to free his hands, not sure if it was to push the other away or to pull him closer. The Slytherin in him prompted him to surrender to the higher power. The Malfoy in him reminded him that it was a mere boy doing the conquering. His body wanted to submit in exchange for pleasure. His mind fought desperately to remain in control.  
  
Hungry hands were touching him everywhere, alternating between fluttering strokes and hard touches. They were touching his ribs, his stomach, and his thighs, always bypassing the centre of his need.  
  
Hands forced his hips to stop bucking, while a wicked tongue fucked his navel in a silent promise of things yet to come. Nobody had ever touched Lucius like that, mapping his body with ownership, as if it was his right to do so. Nobody had been brave enough to try. The small part of Lucius' brain still able to process coherent thoughts was wondering why, but even that small freedom was soon denied him, when hot breath brushed against his straining cock, chasing away all thought. He was only aware of a few disjointed facts, the hands that held his hips with a strength that promised to leave bruises on his pale skin, the magical restraints that stopped his fingers from winding themselves in his lover's hair and the arousing contrast between the damp silken sheets beneath him and the fire burning him from within.  
  
The tantalizing wetness teasing his throbbing flesh made him desperate for more, releasing in him the uncontrolled desire to stop fighting, to yield, to give in.  
  
A tentative touch of the roving tongue had him screaming, while his hips tried to no avail to break free of their confinement. The mouth retreated again to fasten onto the sensitive inner part of his left thigh, alternating between bites, licks and butterfly kisses. Lucius opened his legs unconsciously, granting better access to the maddening exploration. By the time the treatment was repeated on his right thigh he had stopped fighting. Screams for "More" were followed by whimpers and groans, which were the only sounds filling the otherwise quiet room.  
  
The mouth retreated, leaving him bereft. The bed shifted again and Lucius felt hot breath brushing against his ear, followed seconds later by the maddening sensation of teeth nibbling at his ear lobe.  
  
"Beg me to fuck you, Draco. Tell me how much you need it. Beg me!" It was said softly, but Lucius recognized for what it was: an order.  
  
His mouth opened to say the words that would end his torment, but the Malfoy in him chose that moment to reassert himself. "No, I... won't beg... not now... not ever. I'm... L... a Malfoy," he said between pants, gathering the last vestiges of his pride.  
  
"I must be doing something wrong. By this time you're usually too far gone to really care about last names." The mouth bit his ear lobe hard. Lucius' cock leaped. A husky chuckle was heard and then that infuriating mouth started south once more, painstakingly slowly. It halted short of reaching his groin.  
  
Lucius heard a soft murmur but couldn't decipher the words. The base of his cock tingled for an instant. A spell. Without any warning Lucius was engulfed by wet fire. He yelled, hips jerking uncontrollably before strong hands forced them down. Unable to move or to see, his whole world was reduced to the heat surrounding him. He couldn't do anything but feel.  
  
Lucius was overwhelmed. Never before had he given himself over so completely to pleasure. He always kept something back. Sex for him was another way to gain power or to satisfy his immediate carnal needs. It was an exercise in self-control. His bed partners hadn't seen it differently. Slytherins were too aware of the consequences that showing any weakness created.  
  
Nothing in his experience had prepared him for the raw power that true unleashed passion carried. It would only take a hard suck or maybe the feeling of that talented throat swallowing around him once more and all would be over. He needed release more than he needed to breathe. But it didn't matter how close he was or what the mouth did, his release was denied him.  
  
The whispered spell had been a cock-ring charm. The knowledge that he _could not_ come only serve to accentuate Lucius' desperate need.  
  
The hot wetness retreated and Lucius wailed at the loss. The chilly air around his cock, instead of quenching the desire, only made him more aware of it. He bit his own lips until he could taste blood to stop himself from voicing aloud the pleas his body was making. He had lost control over his body, but he wasn't about to let a complete stranger rob him of the control over his voice. Even if he died of frustration first, he wouldn't yield.  
  
A muffled scream was torn from his throat when his balls were sucked. He spread his thighs wider apart without even realizing it. Unexpectedly, his legs were suspended in the air by invisible bonds, leaving him vulnerable and open. He tried to remember the spell needed for that, but couldn't place it in the jumbled mess that was his mind.  
  
Blunt fingers parted his arse, exposing the puckering opening hidden there. Until then Lucius had been swept away by the all consuming pleasure. Now, however, he realized with sudden apprehension where this was leading. The very real possibility of having someone take him was enough to subdue his want. His whole body tensed.  
  
"Hush, Draco. Why are you so tense? What's wrong with you?" The voice sounded truly concerned, if a bit rough.  
  
Draco.  
  
He was Draco.  
  
He needed to act like Draco if he wanted to succeed, like Draco, who wouldn't have a problem with being fucked by this boy. He couldn't possible be afraid of doing something that his son did on a regular basis.  
  
No, it wasn't fear. Malfoys felt no fear. It was just the idea of showing weakness. He was Lucius Malfoy. He was always in control of everything that went on in his bed. Only he wasn't Lucius Malfoy in this bed. The body he now had wasn't Lucius' either.  
  
He didn't have much of a choice, not if he didn't want to be discovered. Deliberately, he ignored the small voice in his head telling him that there was always a choice. He would let this boy --whoever he was-- fuck Draco. Whatever happened to his son's body wasn't really his concern. Lucius Malfoy's self would remain untouched by the whole affair.  
  
"Nothing's wrong. I might have overdone it a bit with the reluctant lover act. That's all. I just wanted to see you seducing me." It was a plausible explanation. Now that the relentless explorations had ceased his mind was starting to function again. This would be easy.  
  
"You sure? We can stop if you want?"  
  
What kind of Slytherin was this? He sounded like a bloody Gryffindor. Nobody in the snake house would offer to stop after they had their partner tied up, helpless and ready to be fucked.  
  
"It is okay, really. Go on." He couldn't believe that he was reassuring the brat. He was going to kill Draco. Not only was his son terrible at Quidditch, he didn't even have decent taste in bed partners. There was only so much Lucius could forgive.  
  
Lucius' plan for chastising his son was brutally interrupted when a very wet tongue licked the crease between his buttocks. All the blood in Lucius' body rushed back to his cock. By the fourth lick he was whimpering. When that hot tongue finally breached him, reaching so deep inside that he thought he was going to die, Lucius had completely forgotten who he was. He begged. He pleaded. He threatened. Please. Need it. More. Faster. Deeper. Now.  
  
He thrashed against his bonds with renewed strength when the mouth retreated leaving him empty. He wanted to grab his lover and force him to finish the job. One slick finger penetrated him. It wasn't nearly as good a substitute, but it was better than the emptiness that for the first time he was aware existed inside of him.  
  
A second finger followed. He gave encouraging moans and gasps to show his approval. The fingers touched something inside of him that made him jerk his hips and wail. It was like an aborted mini-orgasm coursing through his body. Over and over again they kept stroking that spot inside of him. Lucius was sure that there had to be some magic involved.  
  
A third finger joined the other two, stretching Lucius impossibly wide, opening him for his lover's use. Lucius didn't care. He wanted to be used. At some point the idea of a hard cock ramming into him had become a turn-on. He had never been so hard.  
  
He had stopped begging a long time ago. He only gave commands. In me. Now. Hard. More. The fingers retreated; before Lucius had time to protest he felt the enlarged tip of his lover's cock stretching him farther open. With a hard thrust his lover sheathed himself inside Lucius.  
  
It was an overwhelming sensation. One Lucius hadn't been emotionally prepared for, despite his son's body being physically used to it. Another person was in him. He could feel his lover's pulse deep inside. He felt vulnerable and at the same time incredibly strong. The first tentative push had him making keening sounds that until that day he hadn't known were possible. His hips moved in rhythm with his lover's, meeting him thrust for thrust.  
  
Sweat covered his body; his muscles were overstrained in their quest for release. He clamped down around his lover's hardness to stop it from withdrawing. He was rewarded with a moan followed by a harder thrust. Lucius knew then that he wasn't the only one on the verge of losing control. Their thrusts increased in speed and force. Another murmur interrupted by a grunt and his cock was freed.  
  
His whole body tensed on the edge of release. He screamed in agony and pleasure when all the blood rushed to his cock. Another thrust hit that hidden spot inside and he climaxed. He screamed one last time, hips jerking uncoordinatedly while hot seed covered his chest. His orgasm triggered that of his partner. His lover plunged into him one last time as deep as he could go and spent himself inside Lucius. Mouths and tongues duelled with each other while both their bodies shook with the intensity of their climaxes.  
  
Lucius' last coherent thought before pleasure overwhelmed him was that his son's body must be defective. If that were the case, he would have to make arrangements to have enough batches of Polyjuice to last him for a lifetime. Not even the threat of Azkaban would be enough to make him give up this newly discovered bliss. 

* * *

  
  
Later that night he was lying on his bed in the Slytherin dormitory. All his roommates were asleep, oblivious to the earthshaking discovery he had just made. Harry Potter. Harry Potter, Gryffindor Golden Boy supreme, had just shagged him within an inch of his life.  
  
It had taken all his years of self-discipline to stop the surprise from showing in his face once the blindfold had been removed and he saw Potter's green eyes looking steadily back at him. Harry Potter. His son had a secret affair with Harry Potter. Moreover, Lucius himself had slept with the Boy Who Lived and had liked it. As a matter of fact he had loved it.  
  
That in itself was a big enough revelation to keep him awake, regardless of the Potter factor. Until that day he hadn't even stopped to consider the possibility that he might enjoy bottoming. All his life his major concern was to be constantly in control of himself and those around him. Even when he joined the Dark Lord he had had plans and counter-plans about how to escape from the situation if he so desired. Many of those plans were still valid.  
  
It surprised him that it had only taken one night with Potter for him to start considering the usefulness of those plans. The boy was indeed dangerous. That thought still made his blood boil. This time, however, it wasn't in anger but in desire. He wanted to possess the boy, own him, make him his, at least until he tired of him and cast him aside.  
  
Getting Potter killed had stopped being one of his wishes. The boy had shown him a completely new facet of himself. One that Lucius knew he would have never found without help. A facet he liked very much. There was no point in denying it. He might be a control freak in each and every aspect of his life, but from this day forward he would never pretend that he really liked to stay in control when in bed, especially when the alternative was so much more pleasurable.  
  
During his life he had had countless lovers and whores of both sexes. He had enjoyed each and every one of those encounters, even if some were more memorable than others. At that time he had thought that nothing could be better than knowing he could remain in control while they lost themselves in the throes of passion. Now he knew better. Being lost in the throes of passion oneself was much more satisfying. It was a pity that it had taken him so long to find that out.  
  
Lucius wasn't a man who particularly cared about others' opinions. Principally, because he had the money and the power to buy those opinions if need be. No single partner of his would ever dare to comment on Lucius' sexual inclinations. The only time someone had been foolish enough to attempt it, she had disappeared under rather mysterious circumstances.  
  
No, nobody would ever dare to say anything. As soon as he had his own body back he would explore these new sexual preferences with more experienced lovers. Meanwhile, Potter would do just fine. With a satisfied smile Lucius went to sleep. His dreams were full of green-eyed boys who looked like carbon copies of the Boy Who Lived.  
  
The next morning Lucius went through his classes in a half-awake daze. His body ached wonderfully in parts whose existence he hadn't even been aware of before. He felt sore, but he didn't bother casting any healing spell. He welcomed the slight pain. It was a reminder that the night before hadn't been a dream.  
  
Harry, Potter, he reminded himself adamantly, kept giving him those long looks that made him burn. The difference was that now he knew the real meaning behind them. He recognized the possessiveness as well as the hidden promises. His body was very conscious of it, too. His physical reactions to those looks had already been intense before, when he had only had his fantasies to guide him. Now that he knew what to expect their intensity had increased a hundredfold. It was as if Harry's eyes had some sort of direct magical link to his groin.  
  
Double potions with Gryffindors had been torture. One that unlike Cruciatus, he would volunteer to undergo without thinking twice about it. Potions had always been one of his secret hobbies. It was thanks to that he had managed to complete his Veritaserum perfectly, even though he had been lost in thought during the whole class. It had gained him 70 points, since he had been the only student able to brew the potion correctly.  
  
He received Snape's compliments with a dismissive smile, mind already plotting how to meet Harry again. Had he not been so distracted he might have noticed the calculating look Snape was giving him. As it was, the only worry on his mind was whether or not he should try to contact Potter that day or if he should wait. With his mind made up he walked towards the Owlery, mentally formulating his letter to Potter. He was ready to begin another journey into self-discovery. All thoughts about Potions, Snape and Hogwarts' wards lay forgotten.  
  
He loved being sixteen! 

* * *

  
  
"Severus, please come in. Sit down. Do you want some tea?" Dumbledore asked politely, pointing at a seat in front of his desk. With a wave of his hand a tray with some cookies, a kettle with boiling water, and two cups appeared out of thin air. Severus took the proffered tea, knowing from experience that Dumbledore wouldn't listen to him until he did.  
  
"Now my boy, what is it you wanted to discuss with me?"  
  
"For the past two weeks I've been noting some oddities in Draco Malfoy's behaviour. Have you checked Moody's Map lately?"  
  
"You mean the Marauders' Map," the Headmaster corrected him with a hint of a smile, fully aware of Severus' attempt to deny any credit to his boyhood enemies. His smile turned into a quiet chuckle at Severus' darkening expression.  
  
"Whatever!" said the Potions Master dismissively. "Have you looked or not?"  
  
"Yes, I have, and I haven't found anything suspicious about Mr. Malfoy. What sort of oddities have you been noticing?" asked Dumbledore in an indulgent voice that grated on Snape's nerves.  
  
"Well, that Quidditch game for starters. Draco's Seeker skills are usually not that good. By Salazar, he almost beat Gryffindor!"  
  
"Severus, I'm surprised! Such a lack of confidence in Slytherin's Quidditch team coming from you. So, if I understood you correctly, under normal circumstances Slytherin would have lost to Gryffindor. And here I was thinking tha..."  
  
"That's not what I said. Slytherin has the best Quidditch team in the school. However, we both know that Potter's abilities as a Seeker are..." Severus gave a frustrated sigh.  
  
He hated it when Dumbledore did that to him, twisting his own words until he ended up admitting things he didn't want to. Dragons would breathe water before he complimented Potter in any way. Dumbledore's knowing smile just served to infuriate him more. He took a calming breath. It wouldn't do any good for him to lose his composure.  
  
"Fine, forget Quidditch. Take Potions for instance. For the last two weeks the boy has not made a mistake, not a single one. Today, he even managed to brew Veritaserum successfully, not even Granger was able to do it."  
  
"Well, Severus, I don't see why that surprises you so much. After all Mr. Malfoy's marks in Potions have always been higher than Miss Granger's. Actually, I seem to remember that Mr. Malfoy has the highest Potions marks in the school. So, unless all those rumours regarding your biased grading methods happened to be true, I don't see why..."  
  
"Fine! You win! Then again, don't you always?" said Snape, irritated. "Look, I wouldn't have survived as a spy this long if my intuition led me wrong. All my senses are screaming at me that there's something off with Draco. That person isn't Draco Malfoy. Nobody can change so radically in such a small amount of time. Are you sure that there's nothing wrong with that Map? My instincts are never wrong, by Slytherin!"  
  
"Now, now, Severus, my boy, you know I would never question your instincts. And no, the Map isn't malfunctioning at all. I'm absolutely sure of that. I can assure you that Mr. Malfoy is indeed Mr. Malfoy. There's nothing wrong with him at all," Albus commented soothingly.  
  
"Albus, there might be stronger spells at work than those the Map can identify. I know that it was created by your pet Gryffindors, but they weren't perfect, despite that you would like to think otherwise. There are magical ways of disguising oneself, which are extremely difficult to detect."  
  
"I'm perfectly aware of that, but I can see through almost every magical disguise as long as it is not created with potions. Since the Map can detect Polyjuice, that's not a real problem."  
  
"There is nothing amiss with Mr. Malfoy," continued Dumbledore. "He might be acting a bit out of character. However, that's not too surprising. He's just beginning to realize that there might be other things in life which are more important than the Dark Arts. Don't worry about him. Let him find his own way. He'd be a great asset to our cause. Just be careful what you say around him; your cover is more important than anything else. It's the only thing keeping you alive in the Death Eaters' meetings."  
  
"Fine! Whatever!" said Snape, annoyed. "I'll keep an eye on him anyway, but I can't confront him openly without blowing my cover. I had hoped that you would. How very optimistic of me to think that you would listen to me this time! After all you've never done it before, not with Quirrell, not with Lockhart, not with Lupin, not with the fake Moody, not with anybody else!  
  
"Do whatever you want, Albus. But don't complain when it blows up in your face like one of Longbottom's Potions. When it turns out in the end that he wasn't Malfoy after all but some Death Eater infiltrating Hogwarts, don't tell me that I didn't warn you.  
  
"And in case you don't know, your precious Boy Who Lived is having an affair with Draco or whoever is impersonating him. Potter is going to be the first one to pay the consequences if I'm proven right," Snape finished, enraged.  
  
"Oh! I didn't realised you knew about that," Dumbledore commented, amused.  
  
"Of course I knew! How could I not? This has been going on since the beginning of the school year. A Potter," Snape spat the name out as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Draco could do so much better. I can't talk to him his folly without blowing my cover.  
  
"After all, as a loyal Death Eater I would be expected to report to Voldemort if the son of his right-hand man became the lover of the Boy Who Lived. I can't do that though. They would kill Draco immediately."  
  
It took Dumbledore all his years of experience of dealing with the sour Potions master to hear the undercurrent of pain in that last statement. Snape did care about Draco it seemed. Sometimes it was very difficult --even for him-- to decide when Snape was acting and when he wasn't. Maybe assuring the Potions Master that Draco was okay would calm him down a bit.  
  
"Look Severus, I understand your reasons, but I'm sure that Draco is perfectly all right. If anything, Lucius wouldn't let harm come to his only heir. You know that Malfoys are very mindful about continuing their bloodline. If anything were to happen Lucius would protect him," said the Headmaster reassuringly.  
  
Snape didn't comment on that. He knew that Draco wasn't all Lucius had hoped for. But he also knew that the older Malfoy, despite his protests, wouldn't hesitate to do whatever it took to protect his son. It had to be enough for now. He would keep an eye on Draco, or the impostor. He wasn't so sure any more.  
  
He knew better than to trust Dumbledore not to lie to him. Nevertheless, he couldn't come up with a reason why Albus would do so in such a serious matter. Without the Headmaster's support there wasn't much he could do, though. If Draco was really an impostor, confronting him openly would only prove to the Dark Lord that he was a spy.  
  
"Have it your way, Albus," Snape said with a frustrated sigh. Minutes later he left Dumbledore's office, muttering under his breath about old Gryffindor fools, his whole demeanour oozing anger.  
  
Eyes twinkling and a pleased smile on his face, Dumbledore took the Marauder's Map out of one of his robe's pockets. "No Severus, your instincts are indeed fine, it is your lack of foresight which leaves something to be desired." On the deserted third floor corridor he saw two dots approaching each other, one labelled Harry Potter and the other labelled Lucius Malfoy. He tucked the Map back in his pocket and smiled mischievously "Let's see if Harry Potter once more succeeds where so many others, myself included, have failed." 

* * *

  
  
Three months had passed since Lucius' arrival at Hogwarts. He hadn't found out much about the wards. However, he had made an amazing discovery regarding himself. For the first time in his life he was falling in love.  
  
He and Harry met at every opportunity they could find. At first, he had only been interested in the great sex. Bit by bit, however, he started to discover the person hidden behind the body. And what an incredible person Harry was! Strong and vulnerable, vicious and tender, intelligent and stubborn, not quite wild but not completely tame either; he was all those and much more. He was unique, and above everything else, Lucius'. His Harry.  
  
He remembered his father telling him that the greatest weakness a Dark Wizard could have was to underestimate love.  
  
_"Its magical force can't be controlled, Lucius. When it comes to you seize it, but don't waste your time searching for it. That has been the Malfoys key to success. Light Wizards invest too much time and effort searching for love, and when they have it they don't use its power. Dark Wizards, on the other hand, see love as a flaw, not understanding that sometimes our greatest strengths come from our greatest weaknesses."_  
  
At that time he hadn't understood what his father meant. He had always thought that his father and grandfather had been fools for loving their wives so much. They had gone to huge lengths to satisfy their every whim. Only now was he starting to grasp the meaning behind those words.  
  
When he looked at Harry he felt that he was able to do anything, conquer everything, no matter how impossible. His head was full of plans and ideas, the brilliance of which surprised even him.  
  
Oh yes! He could do things for Harry --because of Harry-- things that he had never even dared to dream of before. He, who used to say that Malfoys have the money and the power to dare everything. Love was like being able to fly without a broom. He had seen his Snitch and this time no one would stop him from catching it. Harry would be his. Forever. 

* * *

  
  
Potions was still Lucius' favourite class, even if his new hobby of Harry-watching was denied him. Snape had taken it into his head that Harry wanted to sabotage Draco's potions and had one day out of the blue decided that they should sit in opposite corners of the room.  
  
If it weren't for the fact that Snape's hate towards Harry was so obvious, Lucius would have been inclined to believe that the Potions Master was protecting the boy. After all Harry was sitting at the very far end of the class, while Lucius was located in front of Snape's desk, where Severus could keep an eye on him.  
  
In any case, he couldn't watch Harry during that class without raising suspicions. That of course didn't stop Harry from watching him. He could feel those green eyes boring into his back and monitoring his every move undeterred. It caused a tingling feeling inside of Lucius, one that he had become used to over the last months. It was like a Harry-detector that activated whenever they were in the same room, even if the boy was wearing his Invisibility Cloak.  
  
That day, however, the class was interrupted by Professor McGonagall asking for Harry to accompany her to the Headmaster's office. Lucius' heart gave a jump. There was something in McGonagall's usually stern expression that didn't bode well for his lover. Something serious had happened and Lucius wanted to know what it was.  
  
The rest of the class went in a blur. Harry didn't come back. During lunch he was also missing and his two sidekicks looked very depressed. He could swear that there were tear tracks on Granger's face. The Weasley boy didn't seem any better. With increasing trepidation he waited for their Care of Magical Creatures class in the afternoon, but Harry wasn't there either.  
  
Lucius Malfoy was worried.  
  
It wasn't an emotion he was used to feeling where others were concerned. Usually he worried about his plans and machinations not bearing fruit, or about other such things. The feeling had always been purely intellectual. It certainly never caused his heart to twist and turn almost in pain. He considered skipping his classes to go in search of Harry, but managed to control himself.  
  
However, when dinner came and Harry wasn't in his usual spot at the Gryffindor table, Lucius threw caution to the wind and went in search of his lover. As soon as he left the Great Hall he quickened his pace. Fifteen minutes and two turning staircases later he was in front of the Slytherin portrait warding the entrance to their room.  
  
"Is he here?" he asked the portrait.  
  
"Yes, he's been here since the morning. The other portrait of myself hanging in the Headmaster's office didn't want to tell me what it was all about. Sometimes I hate myself. I can be so damn annoying. Then again, that's something to be proud of, don't you think? It used to turn Godric on. He would kiss..."  
  
Lucius said the password, tuning out the portrait's rant. He really didn't have time for it now. When the door opened he quickly scanned the room. There, on the floor, in front of the fireplace, was his Harry. His arms were drawn around his legs; his chin was resting on his knees. He looked like a small child. Vulnerable.  
  
Lucius approached him silently and sat down next to him. He completely ignored the fact that his expensive custom-made clothes could get dirty from sitting on the floor. Harry looked at him for a moment. His eyes were dry --far too dry-- like those of a person whose grief is beyond tears. The pain hidden behind the dull green touched something deep inside Lucius.  
  
Harry was hurting. So was Lucius.  
  
Slowly, as if not to scare him away, Lucius opened his arms and pulled Harry to him. The boy let himself be manipulated like one of those lifeless Muggles dolls. Lucius controlled the urge to shake him. He wanted his Harry back, not this impostor taking his place. More than anything he wanted to know what or who had driven his lover to such a state. He wanted to avenge his lover. He wanted to vanquish Harry's grief and smother him with happiness.  
  
"What happened?" he asked in a low voice.  
  
For a long time there wasn't any answer. Lucius was already plotting ways to rip the truth out of Weasley or Granger, when Harry interrupted his roiling thoughts.  
  
"Sirius is dead," said Harry in a lifeless whisper.  
  
"Sirius?" repeated Lucius, trying to figure out who Sirius was.  
  
"Sirius Black, my godfather," Harry clarified for his benefit.  
  
"Wasn't he ac... I'm really sorry, love. I didn't know the two of you were close. How did he die?" Lucius decided that it wasn't the best time to remind his lover that Sirius had been accused of murdering his parents. Evidently Harry already knew that he had been innocent. Otherwise he wouldn't have been so sad about it. Later he would find out how Harry knew.  
  
"Death Eaters." The words were spat out with utter hatred.  
  
It felt as if someone had punched him in the gut.  
  
Death Eaters.  
  
Lucius had been so caught up in his newly discovered heaven that for a while he had forgotten who and what he was. Being Draco was blissfully simple. His only worries were schoolwork and finding time to meet Harry. He had become too comfortable in the role. Now reality came back to haunt him.  
  
There was a world outside Hogwarts. A world he would have to go back to at some point. It was a world where he and Harry Potter were mortal enemies. It was a world where he was one of those hateful Death Eaters. Only that world didn't suit his needs any more.  
  
It was time for Lucius to remake it into a new world, one where he and Harry could be together. There were many things to do. He needed to get rid of Voldemort once and for all. He needed to break up Harry's relationship with Draco. Moreover, he needed to make Harry fall in love with him, him, not Draco but Lucius Malfoy. There were many factors that needed to be taken into account before he could formulate a more concrete plan.  
  
First of all, he needed to make sure that Harry was all right. He would comfort his lover. Once Harry was on his way to recovery he would set his plans into motion. For now, though, his plans could wait. Harry came first.  
  
"I'm so sorry love, so very sorry. At least I can guarantee you that my father wasn't one of them. He is out of the country on business, family business, not Voldemort's business." It couldn't hurt to start building Harry's trust in Lucius Malfoy a bit.  
  
"You don't have to excuse your father, Draco. I know you're not him. I would never blame you for the things he has done."  
  
"Yes, well, he has changed a lot, you know. In his last letters he told me that he doesn't see eye to eye with Voldemort any more. Well, at least not as much as he used to in the past." Harry's body was tensing, so Lucius decided to change the topic. Patience. He would build up Harry's trust in him gradually. "Do you want to tell me about Sirius? It might do you good to talk. I don't know much about him apart from what was said in the press."  
  
"He was innocent!" Harry said fervently as if daring Lucius to contradict him. Lucius just nodded. He stroked Harry's hair in a way that he knew soothed his lover when he was distressed and waited for him to tell his story.  
  
Harry talked and talked. About Sirius and how he and Hermione had saved him. About how his godfather had always tried as best as he could to protect him and remain in contact with him, even with the ministry persecuting him. About his sadness and despair at the death of the only father figure he had known. Lucius listened silently, offering as much comfort as he could through his presence.  
  
During his speech tears escaped Harry's tight control and were now running freely down his face. When he finished talking he buried his head in Lucius' chest and cried. Heartbreaking sobs yanked his body. He cried inconsolably, hands clenched into fists around Lucius' cloak. Through it all Lucius held him, murmuring calming nonsense in his ear, completely unaware of his own silent tears.  
  
They sat like that for a long time, until Harry calmed down completely. After a while Harry raised his head. His fingers traced hesitantly the dried tracks of tears on Lucius' face. He regarded Lucius in awe, as if somehow he couldn't believe that Draco would have cried with him. Lucius was mesmerized as a small happy light ignited inside Harry's green eyes, driving away the dullness.  
  
"I love you, Draco."  
  
The words caught Lucius by surprise. It was the first time in all their time together that Harry had said those three words. It probably was the first time Harry had said those words at all. It was as if a knife had been thrust in the middle of Lucius' heart. It should have been his name following that confession, not his son's.  
  
Draco.  
  
He wasn't Draco, had never been Draco, and would never be Draco. His name was Lucius. Lucius was the one Harry should have fallen in love with.  
  
There was hope and longing in Harry's eyes, but above all there was love. Love directed at him. Or at least to the him he was pretending to be. He was living in a hell of his own making. He had lied to Harry. He was lying to Harry. Moreover, he would continue lying to him. He knew if Harry ever found out, he would never be forgiven. There was only one truth to compensate all the lies. He hoped that it was enough.  
  
"I love you too, Harry."  
  
It had to be enough.  
  
Harry's smile and the following kiss should have made him happy. However, it only managed to twist the knife in his heart even deeper. He kissed Harry back with all that he was. The kiss was another way to express his love, but more than anything it was an apology.  
  
"Make love to me, Draco. I want to feel you inside me."  
  
Lucius didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry. 'Make love to me'. Another first his son was stealing away from him. Harry's first time. He wanted to make it memorable. He wanted in a hundred years from now the mere memory of it to be enough to make Harry blush. But that memory would now be forever linked to Draco's face. Even after he broke them apart and took Harry for himself, the memory of that first time would always be linked to his son in Harry's mind.  
  
In the end, he couldn't deny Harry. His lover needed to be made love to and Lucius would do it, even if it broke his heart. He loved Harry. It had to be enough.  
  
The fingers entwining themselves in the black silky hair were Draco's fingers. The hands bringing Harry's head closer were Draco's hands. The mouth kissing his lover and the exploring tongue were Draco's too. Lucius tried to quash those stray thoughts coursing through his mind, but he couldn't stop himself. In that moment he hated his son more than anyone else in the world.  
  
Draco, Draco, Draco was the name Harry moaned, whispered and gasped, when it was Lucius who kissed him. It was Lucius who was driving his body wild with pleasure. Lucius who was making love to him. 'I'm not Draco,' he wanted to scream, but it was impossible. As impossible as leaving the room and breaking Harry's heart was. Trapped. It was another new emotion that Harry had awoken inside of him.  
  
He concentrated on the taste of Harry's skin, sweet and salty at once. He focused his whole attention on the texture of Harry's neck and on how biting and licking that little spot only he knew about could make the boy squirm and moan uncontrollably. The nipples were next, first the left one, where he could feel Harry's heart pounding under his lips. He teased and sucked the small tip until it was hard. He gave it one last bite before he moved to repeat the same process on its twin.  
  
He kept his mind centred on Harry's pleasure. Lucius made him shudder, beg and thrash in the throes of desire, until the name Draco was nothing more than an unintelligible moan. With satisfaction he saw those green eyes darken with passion, love, want and unconditional trust.  
  
The hips jerking uncoordinatedly under him fuelled the fire in Lucius even further. He soothed his frantic lover with his hands while he continued the merciless exploration of the trembling body beneath him: the fluttering belly, the quivering thighs, the knobbly knees, the impossibly long calves, the small feet. The muscles twitched and turned under the skin in response to Lucius' attentions. Fascinated, Lucius catalogued each and every one of Harry's reactions.  
  
Maybe Lucius' body wasn't his own, but at least Harry's was. He played it like a master. He knew all the sensitive spots: where to press when he wanted a moan; where to lick when he wanted a gasp; where to bite when he wanted a scream. Harry's body was rightfully his. Neither his son nor anyone else in existence could take that away. It had to be enough. And when he sheathed himself in Harry's willing flesh in one long slow thrust it suddenly was.  
  
The velvety walls surrounding him were impossibly tight. Every movement Harry made, every contraction of his muscles, sent jolts of pleasure through his body. Lucius had done this countless times before with more persons that he cared to remember. None of them had been Harry. The boy was made to be his. They fitted perfectly.  
  
Harry's eyes never left his. His hands clutched at Lucius' shoulders as if he was the only stable thing in his world. He lifted his hips to meet each and every one of Lucius' thrusts with equal force. With every passing second they drove closer and closer toward fulfilment. Lucius' hand swept away Harry's when it tried to touch the hardness pressing between their bellies.  
  
Harry screamed incoherently when Lucius' hand began to stroke him in perfect rhythm with his thrusts. Harry screamed Draco's name over and over again as if it was the only word he still knew how to pronounce.  
  
Lucius wound his other hand into the messy black hair, bringing Harry's head closer to him, silencing his lover with deep passionate kisses.  
  
The dance of their bodies became more frantic as they approached their impending climaxes. When Lucius felt the first spasms hit Harry he increased the force of his poundings. With a last broken cry muffled by Lucius' tongue Harry came, come shooting over their bellies. Lucius rode the waves of his lover's orgasm until Harry's shudders ended.  
  
He let go of Harry's mouth and his hands searched for his lover's. Their fingers entwined. The last vestige of his self-control shattered when Harry deliberately squeezed the narrow canal sheathing him. With one last thrust he came deep within his lover.  
  
He was still enjoying the last ripples of his climax when Harry screamed. It wasn't in pleasure or pain, but in fear and horror. The green eyes were impossibly wide and in their revealing depths Lucius saw unmistakable loathing. Harry's hands were hysterically pushing him away. His fingernails clawed at Lucius' back, leaving red traces behind, while his whole body tried frantically to throw Lucius off.  
  
Lucius had got his wish after all. Harry Potter knew that he was Lucius Malfoy. In one hundred years from now when he looked back at his first time it would be Lucius' face he saw. However, instead of the love and happiness Lucius wanted him to feel there would only be apprehension and disgust.  
  
"Calm down, Harry. I can explain if you let me. Calm down, I won't hurt you. There's nothing for you to be afraid of." His words fell on deaf ears. As soon as he had retreated from Harry's body the boy had jumped to his feet and started to frantically search for his wand among his discarded clothes.  
  
Lucius sighed. That wasn't what he had in mind when he wished for Harry to find out the truth. He thanked Slytherin that the boy's judgment was clouded by the shock. Otherwise, he would have already used magic to summon his wand. It wasn't a mistake that Lucius would make. Now more than ever he needed to stay calm, especially if he intended to keep Harry.  
  
A quick _Accio_ , followed by an _Expelliarmus_ , and both their wands were tucked safely in his left hand. Of course, that didn't do anything to placate Harry's fears. On the contrary, the boy abandoned the now useless search for his wand and ran to the door. That would just not do, thought Lucius. He couldn't allow the boy to leave before they had talked. Furthermore, under no circumstances would he ever allow others to see the naked body of his Harry.  
  
" _Stupefy_!" Harry's body fell limply to the floor.  
  
He conjured a wet cloth and cleaned the traces of their lovemaking from his lover's body. Usually he would have used a simple charm. As things were, however, it would probably take some time before he could convince Harry to reinitiate their relationship. He wanted to relish every single moment he still had with his love.  
  
He watched the limp body on the floor a while longer. Shaking his head he quashed his feelings of concern. He had to be strong. He needed to convince Harry to stay with him. He would have to prove to Harry that Lucius was the person he had fallen in love with and not Draco. It was going to be extremely difficult.  
  
With a flick of his wand he cleaned and dressed himself. Another flick and Harry was perfectly clothed and sitting on one of the armchairs near the fireplace. Finally, he cast a spell that would stop Harry from leaving the chair. It was time.  
  
" _Enervate_!" As soon as awareness returned to him, Harry tried to run away again, only to find out that he couldn't. Lucius let him struggle. It took a while for him to accept that he was trapped.  
  
"Are you quite finished yet?" Lucius asked amusedly. Nothing in his demeanour betrayed his unease.  
  
"What did you do to Draco?" asked Harry accusingly.  
  
Lucius smiled fondly at the typical Gryffindor behaviour. The safety of others always comes first even if you yourself are in mortal peril. Not that the boy was in mortal peril, but he didn't know that; at least not yet.  
  
"He's perfectly fine. You don't have to worry about him."  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"Why, in Malfoy Manor of course. Where else could he be? Actually, if I'm correct he hasn't left the Manor since Christmas." Fascinated, he watched the emotions playing in the boy's eyes. Suspicion turned into disbelief, then into realization. Realization gave way to betrayal and finally it became anger.  
  
"You're lying! You're lying! I know you are!" But even Lucius could see that he really wasn't so sure of his own words.  
  
"We covered Polyjuice Potion in classes two weeks ago. You know how it works," said Lucius.  
  
"Yes, I do. I know that it only lasts one hour. I've been with Draco for longer periods of time than that, and during that time he didn't drink anything that remotely looked like Polyjuice." Harry's face showed relief. It was a strong argument after all; one that proved that he hadn't spent the last months having sex with Voldemort's right-hand man.  
  
"No. You didn't see me drinking anything remotely similar to Polyjuice. However, you've seen me eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans on more than one occasion, haven't you? As the name says they come in _every flavour_. The magical formula that makes it possible for them to acquire different tastes can also be used to obtain not only the flavour but also the magical properties of certain potions. It has been one of my most amazing discoveries." Saying that Lucius took one box of Bertie Bott's Beans out of his pocket and with feigned indifference he swallowed one bean.  
  
The effect was immediate. He could felt his hair retreating into his head. His hands shortened. His body lost in stature. His expensive clothes charmed to always fit the wearer reduced themselves until they fitted him anew. Minutes later the person sitting in front of Harry looked exactly like Draco Malfoy.  
  
"You!?... I... We... Merlin! I can't believe that we've... You're lying!" Harry finally stated with conviction, hope filling him once more. "Draco and I have been together for more than one hour at a time without him eating any beans."  
  
Lucius remembered those times too, mostly when they had been having sex. Some of them had been quite close calls. Harry had the uncanny ability to make him forget the essentials when he was around --like today. Lucius had been so caught up in his worry that he forgot to eat one of the blasted beans. Another perfect plan the boy had accidentally destroyed. He couldn't be truly angry with Harry though.  
  
"That would be a valid point, if it weren't for the fact that I also augmented the concentration of the potion by changing the formula a bit. One of these beans is good enough to last for a period of three hours," Lucius told him, destroying Harry's last hopes.  
  
"I don't believe you," said Harry weakly, but his voice lacked conviction.  
  
"Harry, what further proof do you need apart from that Quidditch game? My son --unlike me-- never was a good Seeker. You really don't believe Draco would have hidden such talent had he had it, do you? My son's greatest ambition always was to best you at Quidditch. He would have done anything in his power to defeat Gryffindor, especially you. If he didn't do it back when the two of you were still rivals it wasn't because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't."  
  
"The Quidditch game!" Harry said with dawning realization. "Merlin, you! You were... You were the one at the Quidditch game, right after Christmas!" he said with dread.  
  
Harry's mind was bustling with disjointed thoughts. He couldn't quite bring himself to grasp the concept that he had spent months sleeping with his boyfriend's father.  
  
"Yes," Lucius confirmed unnecessarily.  
  
"I see," said Harry miserably. He felt betrayed. He could pin-point in his mind the exact moment when he had started to fall in love with Draco. It had been on the Quidditch Pitch, during that game, when he had for the first time realized how much potential was hidden beneath the arrogant surface of his boyfriend. It had been a revelation.  
  
Until that moment Draco had been nothing more than a convenience to him. He was someone to relieve the sexual urges of his body with. He hadn't felt guilty about it, because that had been the basis of their relationship from the start. It began after an eventful fight, which had ended with Draco propped against a wall and Harry pounding into him. As beginnings went it was rather clich.  
  
Harry hadn't been Draco's first by far. The Slytherin boy had already had quite a reputation for shagging anything that moved, male or female. The excitement of the forbidden had kept them coming back for more. With time their relationship had turned into one of friends with perks, but not once had Harry considered that they could be more until that fateful Quidditch Game.  
  
In the months that followed Harry found himself falling deeper and deeper for Draco. It was as if Draco was a completely different person. Harry had thought that the change was a result of Draco finally breaking free from his father. The reality was that Draco had _literally_ been somebody else.  
  
In the last three months Harry had often considered how it would feel to let Draco take him. The only thing he had never agreed to do with the other boy was letting the Slytherin top him. Mostly because he wanted to do that with someone he really loved.  
  
When Harry had seen Draco cry because of Harry's pain regarding Sirius's death, he had known with certainty that he was in love with the Slytherin. Moreover, he had for a blissful moment truly believed that Draco loved him back.  
  
Lucius Malfoy was a great actor. Harry was an even greater fool.  
  
"Why?" Harry asked finally. He had fallen in love with an illusion, with someone who wasn't real at all. The person he loved was neither Draco nor Lucius, but Lucius pretending to be Draco. At least he had the right to know the reason.  
  
"Why what, Harry?"  
  
"Why? Why did you come to Hogwarts? Why haven't you handed me over to Voldemort yet? You've had enough opportunities. Why did you need to pass as Draco...why did you pretend to care?" In the end that was the only question that Harry wanted answered.  
  
"I didn't pretend, Harry. Salazar knows I didn't! All I said, all I did was real."  
  
"Bullshit!" screamed Harry, completely beside himself. "How stupid do you think I am? You've been lying to me all this time. I won't let you lie to me any more. You fucking bastard! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"  
  
Once more Harry fought against the magical restraints keeping him glued to the chair. This time, however, he didn't want to escape the room. He wanted to hit Lucius. Hard. Over and over and over again until he was feeling as much pain as Harry was.  
  
But Harry needn't worry, because Lucius was already in pain, even if he disguised it better. He would have been willing to undergo Cruciatus if it would spare him hearing Harry saying that he hated him once more. He wanted desperately to go to Harry, to embrace him, to soothe his pain away. The fact that he was the cause of Harry's distress only made it worse.  
  
"Harry, please, listen to me. I didn't lie. Okay, I did. But not where the important things are concerned. I do love you. I couldn't help loving you. I didn't even try to stop myself from doing so. I love you," he said, willing Harry to believe him, barely able to keep the despair out of his voice.  
  
"You love me!? Is that supposed to make it better? If you really loved me you wouldn't have lied to me, you wouldn't have pretended to be someone you were not. You took shameless advantage of my relationship with Draco to suit your purposes, and now you have the nerve to tell me that you love me.  
  
"You don't know what love is! And to think that I let a monster like you take my virginity. But I really didn't let you, did I? After all, I didn't know who you were. For all that really matters you raped me! Even if you made sure I enjoyed it, you raped me!"  
  
That last line was the final blow for Lucius. He couldn't stand any longer Harry's look of hate and disgust. He knew then there was nothing he could say that would make Harry change his mind. He was too deeply hurt at the moment for that. Maybe with enough time Lucius could have won him back, but time wasn't something that he had.  
  
In a couple of hours classes would begin again. If he didn't free Harry soon people would start looking for him. If he freed him, the boy would go immediately to the Headmaster to tell him the truth about Lucius. From there to a cup of Veritaserum and a cell in Azkaban wouldn't take long.  
  
It was time for contingency plans. Mind made up, he reached into one of his pockets and extracted another box of Every Flavour Beans. He rummaged through its contents until he found a jet-black bean. He smiled sadly. He hadn't wanted it to come to this, but he didn't have many options. This was the safest way. Besides, it was the only way in which he could still keep Harry in the end. Provided he played his cards well. Then again, Malfoys always did.  
  
"If I ask you to eat this, will you do it?" asked Lucius, even though he already knew what the answer would be.  
  
"No! There's no way in hell I'm eating one of those blasted beans," said Harry, eyes widening with barely concealed fear.  
  
"I thought so."  
  
With two steps Lucius was at Harry's side. With as much gentleness as he could muster --given that Harry was fighting him-- he pinched Harry's nostrils between his fingers effectively cutting off his air supply. After a while Harry was forced to open his mouth. In a swift move he put the bean into Harry's mouth and closed it with his hand before Harry could spit it out. With his other hand he pointed his wand at Harry's throat and murmured a spell that forced the boy to swallow.  
  
Afterwards, he petted Harry's head soothingly while the boy thrashed under the effects of the potion. After fifteen minutes Harry's body went motionless under his hand. Lucius waited until the last tremors receded. Softly he turned Harry's face towards him.  
  
Harry's eyes were completely black. His pupils were so dilated that the green was practically invisible. The boy's face was utterly devoid of expression. At that moment he was nothing more than an empty shell waiting to be filled.  
  
Lucius traced the famous scar with his fingers. He outlined the black eyebrows. He continued moving his fingers down over the velvety texture of the cheeks, the small nose and the contours of the perfect mouth. He committed every single line of Harry's face to memory. With a sad smile he broke his contact. He had work to do.  
  
"You will forget that Lucius Malfoy ever impersonated his son," commanded Lucius in an even voice.  
  
"I will forget that Lucius Malfoy ever impersonated his son," repeated Harry lifelessly.  
  
And so it went. Being careful not to damage Harry permanently, Lucius remade the boy's memories of the last months. He erased some, created some, changed some and left some. With every memory he stole from Harry his guilt increased. It was a novel emotion for him, who had cast Cruciatus, Imperius and Avada Kedavra on countless victims without losing any sleep. Guilt was apparently another of those feelings that only Harry could awake within him.  
  
The potion he was using was one of his best creations. He had already tested its effectiveness on Muggles and wizards alike. It was far superior to a simple Memory Charm. It didn't destroy the complete memories of the subject as too powerful Memory Charms tended to do. However, it didn't fade with time as was the case with weak Memory Charms. In addition, it allowed him to implant new memories in the victim's mind. If it was done correctly the transition between the real memories and the implanted ones went so smoothly that no holes were left. Furthermore, there was no antidote. Once the potion finished its course of action the memories were lost forever.  
  
When he was done he waited with trepidation for Harry to wake up. He didn't have any doubts about the efficacy of his potion. However, he wanted to be sure that Harry hadn't been damaged in any way. It was not a care he had had regarding those on whom he had tested the potion on before.  
  
Harry's eyes fluttered open. For a moment he looked lost, as if he didn't remember where he was.  
  
"Draco?" Harry asked, still sleepy. "I don't remember falling asleep," he said, sounding slightly confused.  
  
"You exhausted yourself crying. Did you sleep well, at least?" Lucius asked, trying to convey sympathy and understanding.  
  
"Yeah, thanks. What time is it?"  
  
"About 5 a.m. You looked so peaceful that I didn't have the heart to wake you up. Are you feeling better?"  
  
"I guess," answered Harry, subdued. "I'm sorry that I bothered you with this. I just couldn't stand the pity in Hermione's and Ron's faces. I wanted someone that understood my grief for Sirius without pitying me. You seemed like the best option at the time. I know that we aren't together any more, but we agreed to remain friends and..."  
  
"Hush. You don't have to explain yourself. I'm glad that you came to me. That's what friends are for, right?" said Lucius, less worried now. The potion had worked perfectly.  
  
"I know. Thanks. I think I'd better leave now. Ron and Hermione are probably worried about me. If I'm not back in the dorm before breakfast they'll probably send a search party to get me."  
  
"You're probably right. Have you already told them that we broke up?" asked Lucius, even though he knew what the answer was going to be.  
  
"No, I planned to tell them today. But when I found out about Sirius..." Harry's voice trailed off. With a sad smile he continued, "I'll tell them later. Thanks for being there, Draco. I..."  
  
"Hush. I already told you it's all right. If I had known that this was going to happen I wouldn't have let you break up with me yesterday," said Lucius putting as much love in his voice as he dared, but being careful not to let his true feeling for Harry show.  
  
"You couldn't have known. Besides, it was a mutual decision. I'm glad we are still friends, though," said Harry with a tired smile.  
  
"You should go to sleep. You look exhausted. I could go with you if you..."  
  
"No, that's fine," Harry interrupted him. "You've been a great help already. Bye, Draco."  
  
"Goodbye then. If you need anything you know where to find me. Are we still on for that study session next week or would you prefer to change it?"  
  
"No, leave it. I'll come. And thanks for being there," said Harry, already at the door.  
  
"It was my pleasure."  
  
Lucius watched Harry leave. He still had many things to do. The school year was almost over. He would remain at Hogwarts until the end of the term to monitor Harry's health. He wanted to be one hundred percent certain that there wouldn't be any adverse reactions to the potion before he left. He could also use the time to complete his aborted investigation of the Hogwarts' wards.  
  
Once he was at the Manor he would remake Draco's memories too, so that they coincided with Harry's. He knew better than to leave loose ends. Meanwhile, he would enjoy what little time he had with Harry, even if it was just as friends. If things went as planned very soon Harry would be his again. 

* * *

  
  
One month after Sirius's death Harry sat in the shadow of a tree enjoying the warm May weather. He was alone. Ron and Hermione had recently admitted they were in love with each other. Now the newly formed couple never lost an opportunity to explore their relationship. Harry wasn't really upset about being left alone, but rather amused at his friends' antics. Besides, he had Draco.  
  
He could now smile when he remembered Ron's reaction to finding out about them. Ron had been enraged when Harry told him he was going out with the Slytherin. Hermione's reaction had been a bit more subdued, even though she made quite clear that she didn't approve. In the end, however, they had both accepted Harry's choice of partner, or at least they had pretended to do so.  
  
Harry was happy that he had let them know about it from the very beginning. He knew that both his friends would have ended up finding out about it eventually, and then there would have been hell to pay. Besides, without his friends' help to cover up for him neither he nor Draco would have been able to meet as often as they did without being found out.  
  
Despite their apparent acceptance they had both been happy when Harry told them that he and Draco weren't together any more. Even if Ron had thrown a fit because Draco had broken with him the same day that Sirius died, which was in his opinion really insensitive on the _Slytherin git's_ part. He wouldn't listen to Harry's explanation that the break-up had happened the day before.  
  
Harry didn't know what he would have done without Draco's presence. They had had a rather painless break-up. Both of them realized at the same time that although they cared for each other it just wasn't in 'that way'. Friendship would suit them better.  
  
Draco had helped him to cope with Sirius's death. The Slytherin had been more than willing to be there for Harry whenever the Gryffindor needed someone to share his feelings about Snuffles. Talking about his godfather with Ron and Hermione had become a sort of taboo. Hermione would immediately start crying and Ron would get upset.  
  
Since their break-up Harry and Draco had become used to studying together in the same room that formerly served as meeting place for their encounters. Draco would tell him about the newest developments in Slytherins' quarters and Harry would tell Draco about what was going on with the Gryffindors. He was grateful that they were still friends. Dean and Seamus hadn't talked to each other since their break-up. Harry didn't want that to happen to him and Draco.  
  
Harry's thoughts were interrupted by the abrupt arrival of a falcon. The bird extended its left leg to Harry with an affronted dignity that reminded Harry of his ex-boyfriend. He untied the offered letter, wondering who might be writing him using a falcon as a messenger, no less. Harry's post was limited to Christmas, when his friends left school and to his dreaded summer vacations, when he was locked up at the Dursleys. As soon as he took the letter the falcon flew off without waiting for a reply.  
  
_To Mr. Harry Potter,  
  
It has come to my attention that the Dark Lord has ordered his servants to look for weaknesses inside Hogwarts' security system. I have come across a report regarding this matter that should have been presented to Him. The person that gathered this information has been properly taken care of. Attached is a document containing a detailed account of the school's weak points. Feel free to do with this information whatever you might think appropriate.  
  
A concerned Death Eater_  
  
Harry's first thought was that it was a very lame joke. After all what person in his right mind would write such a letter. You simply didn't put words like _concerned_ and _Death Eater_ in the same sentence. However, Harry's hope was short lived. Attached to the document was as promised a very detailed map of Hogwarts. It included a complex web of thin coloured lines, which, for all that Harry knew, could indeed represent the school's protective magical barriers.  
  
With a feeling of dread Harry ran towards Dumbledore's office. His arrival was delayed by Severus Snape, who took great pleasure in taking twenty points from Gryffindor for running in the corridors. Harry knew better than to protest. He just shoved the letter and the map in the Potions Master's hands. Snape's eyes widened almost imperceptibly first in disbelief and then in something akin to fear.  
  
"Where did you get this?" he asked, daring Potter to lie to him.  
  
"A falcon just dropped it off a few minutes ago. At first I thought it was a joke. A part of me still hopes it is. Are those really the school wards?"  
  
Snape looked at him hard, as if trying to see past any possible lies. "Go back to your dormitory immediately. I'll take this to the Headmaster," said Snape without answering his question.  
  
"No way! How do I know if you're really going to give it to the Headmaster and no..." Harry's tirade died out, when he realized what he was about to say. He had almost accused Snape of being a real Death Eater, even though he knew full well that the man was a spy. Snape looked hurt, but when Harry blinked his face was back to his usually stony blank mask, and Harry thought he had just imagined it.  
  
"Fine, Mr. Potter. You will come with me. And another 20 points from Gryffindor for doubting a teacher's word."  
  
After careful investigation it was proved that the school wards did have the reported weaknesses. Dumbledore, together with the other professors, immediately set about correcting them. Harry was sworn to secrecy regarding the whole issue. He wasn't even allowed to tell Hermione or Ron. Despite the seriousness of the situation Harry couldn't quite shake the feeling that all in all Dumbledore had been too pleased with the whole affair. His eyes had never stopped twinkling. It was a dead giveaway that he was hiding something.  
  
Actually, he hadn't looked too surprised at all that an unknown Death Eater had decided to help them. Moreover, while Harry and Professor Snape had been trying to figure out the whole time who the concerned Death Eater could be and whether or not it was all a huge trap, Dumbledore hadn't seemed too worried about it. This only served to anger Snape, who kept insinuating that Dumbledore's lack of action regarding a certain issue, which he didn't specify in front of Harry, was the reason behind the security leak to begin with. The Headmaster ignored him.  
  
"Severus, you're too paranoid. Not that it is a bad thing, but really, I don't think there's any link between those facts. Besides, thanks to our concerned Death Eater the issue is moot now. You shouldn't worry about our informant's identity, either. I'm sure that when the time is right he will reveal himself."  
  
Two weeks later the next letter arrived. This time it contained a detailed plan for a Death Eater's raid Snape knew nothing about. Dumbledore called a group of Aurors who were loyal to him. Together they plotted how to prevent the targeted wizard family from dying. Nevertheless, precautions were taken in case it was all a big set-up.  
  
The information was valid, though. Three positive things came out of it. First, the family was saved. Second, they could assume with relative security that the information being leaked was truthful. Third, Snape's position as a loyal Death Eater was corroborated. As it turned out the raid had been a test for Snape. The Dark Lord had wanted to know if he was the one giving information to Dumbledore. The failure of the attack proved in the Dark Lord's eyes that the professor still was a faithful servant.  
  
The letters kept coming, sometimes confirming information Snape had already gathered, sometimes providing new information. The messages were always formal, to the point, and always addressed to Harry. 

* * *

  
  
Three days before the beginning of the summer holidays Harry wandered through the school's gardens. He was filled with the usual dread that preceded his stay at the Dursleys. Ron, Hermione and Draco had all in their own ways been trying to cheer him up, without much success.  
  
Harry remembered with fondness how they had been studying for their Transfiguration exam two days before when a concerned Draco asked him why he looked so crestfallen. Harry told him the reason, although he hadn't explained exactly why he didn't want to go back to his relatives' house. Draco hadn't inquired further either. Harry had the impression that he hadn't needed to.  
  
Draco's ability to read him was almost uncanny at times. Now and again, he would regard Harry with something achingly similar to love in his eyes. Then Harry would blink and the expression would be gone. It left Harry with an indefinable sense of deja-vu, as if there was something very important that he should remember. Then Draco would crack a joke, or tell him an interesting story, and the stirred memories went back to sleep. After such moments he knew with certainty that Draco would never be more than a good friend.  
  
The conversation about the Dursleys had been one of those examples. When he told Draco that despite his best arguments Dumbledore still wanted him to spend his summer in Privet Drive, Draco had looked at him thoughtfully. Harry felt as if he were drowning in the Slytherin's eyes. Then Draco laughed cheerfully and told Harry not to worry, because everything would turn out all right given time.  
  
Ron and Hermione, who had been studying with them at the time, had laughed nervously at their exchange, especially Ron, who hated any obvious reminder that his best friend and his arch-nemesis had at some point in time been more than just friends. However, they hadn't let the opportunity to cheer Harry up pass.  
  
Harry had laughed with them, although he knew that there was nothing anyone could do. The only consolation he had was that it would be his last summer with his relatives. There was nothing and no one that could force him to go back to the Dursleys after he finished his seventh year. Only one more summer and it would be over.  
  
With a start Harry came back to the present. He realized that his feet had taken him unconsciously to his favourite spot near the lake. Draco had told him that he needed their room for a while. Harry suspected that he had a new boyfriend or girlfriend and didn't want to tell Harry about it. He wasn't jealous. Ron and Hermione had also left him alone that morning. He couldn't blame them though; with the impending doom of the summer he was not much company anyway.  
  
He was fantasizing about a life without Dursleys when the falcon arrived. He untied the letter from the bird's leg as he had done many times before. This time, however, the falcon didn't leave immediately; instead it stood there as if waiting for a reply. Curiosity piqued, Harry opened the letter only to find that there was another envelope inside addressed to Dumbledore. Harry read the missive directed to him:  
  
_To Mr. Harry Potter,  
  
Please be so kind as to give the attached letter to Dumbledore personally. Seth --that's the name of the falcon-- has been ordered to wait for a reply from him. However, Seth is instructed to let only you approach him. I don't trust Dumbledore anywhere near my bird. Any attempts at placing a tracking charm on him or on the reply letter will be unsuccessful. Moreover, they will end my "concerns" forever.  
  
A concerned Death Eater_  
  
Harry's curiosity was now at its peak. It was only with great restraint that he managed to stop himself from reading the Headmaster's letter without authorization. He ran to Dumbledore's office. After he gave the password to the gargoyle guarding the entrance, it let him in.  
  
Harry tried to decipher the letter's meaning by reading Dumbledore's expression. However, the Headmaster could be as good as Snape at disguising his true feelings. The only thing Harry knew was that the letter managed to surprise the Headmaster, although it was impossible to detect whether it was in a good or in a bad way.  
  
Finally Dumbledore looked at him with an assessing expression. "Harry, I take it by the content of this letter that the bird is still waiting for a reply?"  
  
"Yes, it is. Is there a problem, professor?" asked Harry curiously.  
  
"No, everything is fine. Harry, have you been writing to Mr. Concerned Death Eater without consulting me first?" Dumbledore's eyes were fixed on him and for a moment Harry had the suspicion that they could read his innermost thoughts. It was a very unsettling feeling.  
  
"No, Headmaster. Seth always left immediately after delivering his messages, until today that is."  
  
"Seth?"  
  
"That's the falcon's name. I found out about it in today's letter," Harry hastened to explain when he saw the growing suspicion in the Headmaster's face. Then, just to be on the safe side, he showed Dumbledore his letter.  
  
"Oh, well, that explains it then. Harry, would you be so kind as to take Seth to the Owlery. It will take me some time to write my reply. I'll let you know when I'm done."  
  
"Okay. Goodbye, Headmaster."  
  
Dumbledore didn't contact him that day, though. Harry went to the Owlery in the evening to see if Seth was still there. The bird flew immediately to him, looking very affronted when it realized that Harry hadn't brought a reply with him. Harry didn't think that he liked spending time among owls all that much. The owls didn't seem too pleased with him, either.  
  
Two days later Dumbledore called him to his office. When he arrived Snape and Professor McGonagall were already there. McGonagall seemed worried, unlike Snape, who looked murderous. Harry sat down with apprehension.  
  
"Ah, Harry, I'm glad you're here," said Dumbledore, cheerfully. "I've been rethinking your petition to stay at school over the holidays. After careful consideration the professors and I have come to the decision that it would be best for you if you spent this summer here. I've spoken with the governors and they have agreed to it.  
  
"Of course, there are some strings attached. One of the main reasons students aren't allowed to stay at Hogwarts during the summer holidays is that the Ministry's Monitoring Spells regarding the use of underage magic don't work here. This is a school after all. Children are supposed to do magic when they are here. Therefore, students staying here would be able to violate that law with impunity. It's not something that the Ministry of Magic is willing to tolerate."  
  
"But, Headmaster, I could give you my wand if you wanted, I'll..." Harry said in a desperate attempt to sidestep any possible obstacles to his stay at school.  
  
"Now, now, Harry, why don't you let me finish? Besides, that isn't an option. Separating a wizard from his wand, if the wizard in question hasn't broken any serious law, is a severe violation of International Wizarding Rights. It could cost the person doing it up to ten years in Azkaban. Not even parents are allowed to do this for a period longer than two hours. So you see, taking your wand away isn't really an option."  
  
Harry thought forlornly, 'Great, now they tell me this. I could have sued the Dursleys for violation of Wizarding Rights all this time. Although ten years in Azkaban is a bit much; they would probably die. Maybe it is better that no one finds out. Besides, if I heard Dumbledore correctly I'm not going back to them. I'm willing to be merciful in view of my good luck. If they tell me that I have to go back, though, all bets are off.'  
  
"However," Dumbledore continued, "I've obtained permission from the Ministry for you to do magic during the summer holidays. There is a catch, though. The excuse I used was that you needed extra training. In other words, you won't have holidays.  
  
"The Professors staying at Hogwarts have agreed to train you. You will discuss your schedule with Professor Snape later. He will be the one in charge of your studies. He will also be taking over many of your classes, such as Potions, DADA and Ancient Runes. I know that the last one isn't on your curriculum, but you will find out that there are many classes you will be taking that aren't there either.  
  
"Actually, you will be studying more now than during your regular school year. I think it was Fudge's attempt to scare you off. He wouldn't agree to give his permission unless you had a schedule of at least eight hours of classes a day, including Saturdays. He said that less than that could be covered in your free time during your regular seventh year. That's not all. Your special tutoring will continue once the school year begins again. The Minister wouldn't have it any other way.  
  
"I'll understand if you want to decline. It is a huge sacrifice. If you agree, you won't have a holiday during the rest of your time at Hogwarts. Even during Christmas you would be expected to train. You'll probably need time to make a decision, let me know whe..."  
  
"I'll do it! It's no problem at all! I'll do it!" Harry almost shouted. It didn't matter if he had to study until he died of exhaustion or old age. Anything was better than another summer of hate, exploitation and neglect at the hands of his family.  
  
Moreover, he would profit incredibly from some extra tutoring. He wasn't Hermione by any means, but unlike Ron he did understand the importance of knowledge, especially if the whole wizarding world expected you to kill one of the most powerful dark wizards alive, especially if that wizard was willing to go to any lengths to kill you.  
  
"This is not a decision to be taken lightly, Potter. I doubt that your incompetent mind even realises what a great opportunity this is," Snape said with contempt. "Many students would be willing to give their wand hands for such a chance. However, if you agree to this I'll do whatever is necessary to make sure you don't waste my time or the time of the other professors.  
  
"The Headmaster had to call in many favours for such an exception to be made. I still think that you don't deserve such sacrifices. Nevertheless, what's done is done. If you agree to this you will learn or I will make your life a living Azkaban." Snape voice didn't leave any doubt about his intention to do so even if Harry did learn.  
  
Harry could barely prevent himself from telling him that his mere presence already made his life a living Azkaban. However, he'd take Snape over the Dursleys any day. He couldn't repress a smile when he imagined the Potions master's face if he ever found out that he came second-best to some Muggles.  
  
"I'm sure about my decision. I will learn as much as I can."  
  
"Well, that's not saying much. You will learn as much as _I_ say you can," said Snape with malice.  
  
"Now, Severus, I'm sure that Mr. Potter won't disappoint you. On a happier note, since your Head of House, Professor McGonagall, will be visiting her family I will be the one to teach you Transfiguration. I hope you can put up with an old man. I'm afraid my teaching may be a bit rusty after all these years."  
  
"I'm sure you'll be the best, Headmaster. Ah... not that Professor McGonagall isn't good. I mean... she is good. No, I meant brilliant... I better shut up now," Harry said, red with embarrassment.  
  
"Don't worry, Mr. Potter, I haven't taken offence. And you're right, Albus is a great teacher. After all he was the one who taught me." McGonagall's lips were twitching as if trying to suppress a smile.  
  
"Now Harry, I'm sure that you want to tell your friends the news. Be sure that once you've done so you take this letter to the Owlery and give it to Seth. Well, off you go."  
  
"Potter," Snape called him back, "I'll be expecting you in my office at three o'clock to discuss your schedule. Don't be late. Oh, and enjoy your last day of freedom," he added with a sadistic smirk.  
  
Harry ran to the Owlery with a light heart. Snape might make his life a living Azkaban but he was happy enough to feed a whole army of Dementors, and then some. He couldn't wait to tell his friends. However, he decided that it would be better if he sent the letter first. That way he would be able to spend the rest of the morning with Ron and Hermione before they left in the Hogwarts Express. Draco would have to be informed by owl, since he wouldn't be able to see the Slytherin before he left on the train.  
  
Harry was tying the letter to Seth's leg when it hit him with the strength of a Bludger. It was like seeing all the pieces of a puzzle move in his head until they all fit perfectly, forming a clear picture.  
  
Dumbledore had lied to him. They had all lied to him.  
  
In a rage Harry snapped back the letter, making Seth hoot angrily at him. There hadn't been any sudden decision to let him stay at Hogwarts because they thought he needed to prepare himself better. Harry was certain that the letter addressed to Dumbledore contained a plan to kidnap Harry from the Dursleys. That was why they wanted him to remain at Hogwarts during the summer. That was why this time the letter with the explanations of the future raid hadn't been addressed to him like usual.  
  
They would be all laughing themselves to death by now, thinking how stupid Harry had been not to realize that it was all a set-up. They hadn't had to explain to him the real reason behind their actions. Dumbledore probably knew that he would be so pathetically grateful at the slightest chance to remain at Hogwarts that he would leap at the possibility without questioning it any further.  
  
He tore the protective wards that Dumbledore had put on the letter, his anger fuelling his magical power. In the end it was surprisingly easy to open it. He didn't care if the concerned Death Eater, or whatever his or her real name was, noticed that the mail had been violated. He didn't care at all about many things. Right now he only wanted to find out the truth.  
  
The truth, however, took him completely by surprise. Harry had been prepared to read the most dark, cunning and terrible plans about his future demise, and Dumbledore's ideas to counteract them. He hadn't been prepared for plain and simple blackmail.  
  
_Dear Mr. Concerned Death Eater,_  
  
Under other circumstances Harry would have laughed at such typical Dumbledore sense of humour. As it was he was far too upset by the possible content of the letter to really care about it.  
  
_Regarding your last letter, measures have been taken to allow Mr. Potter to remain at Hogwarts during his summer holidays. Nevertheless, I am informing you that any plans you or Voldemort might have to harm the boy while he is at the school will invariably fail. I have already seen to that.  
  
I am very curious as to why you seemed so adamant that Mr. Potter should not to go back to his relatives' house this summer, seeing as you have not provided us with any news hinting at a future attempt against Mr. Potter's life.  
  
As you surely know, the information you have been providing in the past month has helped our cause a great deal. However, do not think that further threats of withholding information will always lead to getting your way.  
  
I'm only allowing Mr. Potter to remain at Hogwarts because I know that he will be as safe here as in the custody of his relatives. Had I had any doubts regarding his security not even the possibility of the "end of your concerns" --as you so carefully phrased it-- would have moved me to agree to "repay you for services rendered".  
  
Sincerely yours,  
  
Albus Dumbledore_  
  
'Wow!' was Harry's first thought after he finished processing the news, 'I don't have to go back to the Dursleys thanks to a Death Eater. Ex-Death Eater. Who cares? He has just become my favourite person on the planet.' Harry was elated. Even if moments before he had been enraged at the possibility that they had lied to him. Those thoughts were completely irrelevant now.  
  
He was trying to figure out why Mr. Concerned Death Eater would want him to stay at Hogwarts. There wasn't any real reason for it, unless it was all a huge plan by Voldemort to kill Harry. But it seemed strange. The Dark Lord knew how difficult it would be to penetrate Hogwarts' wards. Even the small weaknesses that were reported in that first letter had been removed. Unless that had been part of the set-up as well, and there were other problems they didn't know about.  
  
However, that was almost impossible. Harry knew that after that first letter Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall and Flitwick had carefully improved every single one of the school's defensive barriers. They even found two or three weak spots that hadn't been mentioned and had corrected those too. Even the Chamber of Secrets had been covered with a little help from Harry, who had opened it for them during one Hogsmeade weekend. There was no way anyone could enter the school without authorization.  
  
Finally Harry decided that he really didn't care about the reasons. He was incredibly grateful. Whatever might come out of it afterwards wasn't something he was going to worry about just now. He wouldn't allow such dark thoughts to spoil his happiness. It would be his first summer away from the Dursleys!  
  
With a cry of joy he tried to seal Dumbledore's letter the best he could. It was useless. He or she would know that someone had read it. He needed to send an attached message explaining that it had been him and not somebody else. Harry conjured a quill and a piece of parchment and wrote:  
  
_I apologize for having read your letter without permission. I'm not really sorry about it, though. There were many interesting things that I learned from doing this. I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it to Dumbledore.  
  
P.S. Thank you very much for insisting that I stay at Hogwarts whatever your motives are.  
  
P.P.S. Don't even think about blackmailing me with the fact that I read your letter. I'd rather tell Dumbledore than do something illegal or dangerous. Just so that we are clear._  
  
Humming happily Harry gave both messages to Seth and waited until it had left. Then he wrote a short message to Draco telling him about his new summer arrangements. After that he ran back to Gryffindor Tower to tell his other friends the wonderful news. 

* * *

  
  
As promised, Snape made Harry's life miserable. He prepared a schedule for him that barely left him any free time at all. Not only did Harry have to spend eight hours a day taking classes almost non-stop, but also in each and every one of his classes he was given homework as if that was the only subject he had.  
  
Snape alone gave him ten book titles he had to read in a period of two weeks to get the basic knowledge of Ancient Runes. As he put it, "It's not my fault that you have chosen such useless subjects before now, Potter. In any case I expect you to reach a barely basic level of knowledge as soon as possible. My holidays have already been destroyed because of you. I'll be damned if I'm going to be teaching you first year stuff as well."  
  
Professor Vector from Arithmancy hadn't been so explicit, but he had also suggested he read some basic literature first. Harry had the impression that he had been rather disappointed when the famous Boy Who Lived hadn't chosen his classes, and was taking it out on him. However, once he saw that Harry was truly interested in learning he had been very pleased to tutor Harry and explain in detail all Harry didn't understand from the books. All in all Arithmancy had, together with Transfiguration, become one of Harry's favourite topics.  
  
Potions, Ancient Runes and DADA on the other hand were hell. Harry was certain he had done something very bad in a past life to deserve Snape three times a day. Although to be truthful it had to be added that Snape seemed to think the same thing about having to teach Harry so often.  
  
It didn't matter how much Harry studied or how extensive and thorough his essays were. His work was never good enough. Even DADA, where Harry thought he would be good given his past experiences, had proven to be a hard task. Snape ordered him to write 25-foot essays on themes that they never touched in class. Instead he would ask Harry about completely different topics for which he hadn't been prepared, which again gave Snape the chance to criticise his lack of intelligence.  
  
The first time Harry had dared to protest he had been told in no uncertain terms that Voldemort wouldn't send him a list beforehand with the curses he planned to use during the battle. Harry had been forced to agree with that logic, even if he thought that Snape's purpose, unlike Voldemort's, should be to teach him something, not to kill him. Then again, they both knew better.  
  
Harry had three things that kept him going. First was the desire to prove Snape wrong, second was the knowledge that if he didn't pull it off he would have to go back to the Dursleys, and lastly his letters to L.  
  
The short 'thank you' note Harry sent to the concerned Death Eater marked a change in their communication patterns. The next time Seth came he brought two letters: one formally addressed to Mr. Harry Potter, which contained the usual information regarding Voldemort's future plans; the other addressed to H, which contained a short message telling Harry not to worry about any possible blackmail coming from him, and that he would learn in time his motives for helping Harry stay on at Hogwarts. At the end he asked Harry how he found his stay at the school and if he liked it more than Privet Drive.  
  
After a short hesitation Harry had decided to answer. After all, he really needed to talk to someone and his friends hadn't really been that interested in his studies, with the exception of Hermione. With her, however, Harry was the one trying to avoid the subject, fully aware that it would only lead to his having to send her a detailed copy of every one of his classes. Harry knew better than that.  
  
At first the letters had been awkward and short. Harry hadn't been too sure about what he should write and what he shouldn't. Moreover, he didn't really think that the other would be that interested in his problems. With time however they had started to exchange more and more information, not only about the school and other general thoughts, but also about personal aspects and opinions.  
  
It had been with surprise that Harry realized that after the first month the concerned Death Eater had become CDE for short. Later on, when Harry became obsessed with his newfound love for Arithmancy, CDE had become L. The Arithmancy equivalent for C+D+E was 3+4+5. This equalled twelve, which represented the letter L. He had explained it to CDE, who had answered that in his opinion L suited him much better anyway.  
  
Sometimes Harry had the impression that they knew each other from another life. L could understand Harry in ways nobody else could. He understood the darkness lurking inside Harry as well as Harry's struggle against it. He understood him as well as, sometimes even better than Draco did, which was something that Harry hadn't counted on finding any time soon.  
  
Near the end of July L asked him what he wanted for his birthday. Harry had jokingly answered that the only thing he wanted was for Snape to at least be civil to him. After all, that would make his life much easier.  
  
L hadn't answered that directly, but when his birthday came Harry was surprised to find that Seth had brought him a Potions book. The book title was "Dark Potions versus Light Potions: Mysteries, Myths and Facts". It was co-written by Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw. Harry almost dropped the book when he saw the names on the cover.  
  
The book was extremely old, even though very well conserved. No pages were missing and the potions, their ingredients, properties and side effects could be read clearly. Inside there was a note from L.  
  
_Dear Harry,  
  
I wish you a very happy birthday! As you might have noticed the book you now have in your hands is unique. There were only two copies ever made. One belonged to Ravenclaw and the other to Slytherin. Ravenclaw's copy was destroyed 700 years ago in the same magical fire that destroyed the Ravenclaws' castle. The copy you now possess is the only one that remains. It has been in my family for generations.  
  
As you might have guessed, it belonged to Salazar Slytherin. I know that any Potions master would be willing to sell his or her soul for the privilege to look at such a book. Severus Snape is no exception. The book is yours to do with as you wish. You might even sell it if you so desired. However, I'm sure that you can bargain civility out of Snape in exchange for allowing him to use it. I hope you enjoy my present. Too bad I won't be there to see Snape's face when he sees the book.  
  
Yours,  
  
L_  
  
Harry didn't tell Snape immediately about the book. Instead he dedicated his Potions' study time to reading it. Snape ordered him to write a 20-foot essay about Veritaserum. So Harry used the book as background. At the end of the essay he added --as required by Snape-- a detailed bibliography of the books he used as references.  
  
The response had been instant. Snape called him to his office and told him in his usual caustic tone that if he wanted to disguise his lack of research ability by filling the bibliography with books he hadn't read, at least he should be intelligent enough to use books that still existed. Harry answered that he hadn't made up any books. When Snape challenged him to produce the copy of "Dark Potions versus Light Potions: Mysteries, Myths and Facts", Harry nonchalantly opened his backpack and gave the book to him.  
  
Snape's expression had indeed been priceless. For an instant Harry thought that the usually composed Potions Master would have an emotional break down. His hands had been trembling when he opened the book. He touched it with the reverence of a devoted Christian who came across the Holy Grail. With extreme care he leafed through the book, being very cautious not to bend --even lightly-- any of the pages' corners.  
  
He then looked back at Harry with such a mix of happiness, hope and disbelief in his face that it reminded Harry with a pang of his own feeling the first time he had received a birthday present. It was an image Harry would never have associated with the sour Potions master. Suddenly Harry realised that despite everything Snape was a human being, capable of hope, happiness, illusions and dreams.  
  
"W... where did you... this book... It's impossible... a miracle... there's no way... it was destroyed... a miracle." It somehow pained Harry to see his usually proud professor so at a loss for words, although it didn't really surprise him that a Potions book could achieve what Voldemort and his worst punishments had not managed. "How?" Snape finally asked.  
  
"It was a birthday present, professor. However, I think that you will enjoy it far more than I will. You may keep it if you want. You will profit from it more than I would anyway," Harry surprised himself by saying.  
  
"Potter, are you insane? Who in their right mind would give you such a birthday present? You might not be aware of it but this book is priceless. Collectors and Potions Masters throughout the world would be willing to pay anything, do anything, to get their hands on this book."  
  
"So I've been told," said Harry, not all that impressed by Snape's speech. He had never cared much for money. The only thing he had ever wanted was a family, and Collectors and Potions masters throughout the world couldn't give him that.  
  
"Who gave you the present, Harry?" Snape asked again, in his excitement not even realizing that he had used Harry's given name.  
  
For a moment Harry considered lying. He knew his professor would be angry that he had been corresponding with an unknown Death Eater, or maybe not. After all, if he hadn't done that Snape wouldn't have got the book. With the characteristic impulsiveness of a Gryffindor Harry decided to tell Snape the truth.  
  
"Fine, I'll tell you, but please don't tell Dumbledore. He'll be so angry with me." He waited for Snape to nod his agreement before continuing. "I've been... I guess corresponding is the best word... with the 'concerned Death Eater' over the last months. Apart from his usual reports to me, that is."  
  
"You have what?! Are you even aware of the danger? You deranged irresponsible boy! This might all be a trap set by the Dark Lord. How long has this been going on?" Snape shouted at him, all thoughts about the book completely forgotten.  
  
"Since the day that Dumbledore told me that I could stay in Hogwarts. I opened Dumbledore's letter to him. When I realized that he was the one responsible for my stay at Hogwarts during the summer I decided to write him about it."  
  
"Let me guess. You thought it was all a big plot to kill you and decided that you needed to know what was going on. When you realized that there wasn't any plot to begin with and you had been tricked away from your summer of leisure and pampering you wrote a letter to him complaining about it," Snape said with growing disdain.  
  
"You got the first part right. However, the letter wasn't to complain, it was to thank him."  
  
"Potter, you really don't expect me to believe that you were happy about spending your whole summer studying. You aren't Miss Granger by any means."  
  
"I wasn't too thrilled about it, I'll grant you that. But it beats the alternative any day. Look, why don't we just forget the whole thing and go on with the clas..."  
  
"Oh no, you don't. What alternative Potter? Is being pampered by your Muggle family not enough for you? You crave the recognition and fame that only the wizarding world can give you. Is the alternative of for once just being worshipped by your relatives instead of the whole world too terrible for you?" asked Snape with mockery.  
  
To say Harry was angry would have been an understatement. Snape didn't know anything about him and his life. How dare he assume things he didn't know anything about? Harry was exhausted. He had been staying up late at night for the last month trying to keep up with his studies. Suddenly he saw red. Before he realized what he was doing he started yelling at Snape.  
  
"You want to know what the alternative is. Fine! I'll tell you! The alternative is being locked up in a cupboard under the stairs for the first eleven years of my life, because my Muggle relatives, that so _enjoy_ pampering me, hate everything related to magic. The alternative is being beaten and starved every time I did a bit of accidental magic as a child, because they didn't want the neighbours to know that they had a wizard in the family.  
  
"The alternative is knowing that my family hates me for something that I have no control over. The alternative is going back every summer to a place where I'm treated worse than a house-elf and my books, school supplies, and let's not forget _my wand_ , are locked away so that I can't do anything _freakish_.  
  
"The alternative is spending ten years of my life wearing hand-me-down clothes, being bullied by my cousin and his friends, and being told that my parents died in a car accident because they were drunk. There's your bloody alternative! Don't you dare tell me what a life of luxury I have always led! You know nothing about me! Nobody knows anything about me! They only see what they want to see! And you are no better than they are! Fuck you, Snape!  
  
"You're just as closed minded and as prejudiced as everybody else, the only difference is that you chose the opposite direction. Shove your stupid book where it fits you best and leave me the fuck alone!"  
  
Harry ran back to the Gryffindor Tower still unaware of what he had done. He had opened a dam and the emotions coming through it were drowning him. He threw himself on his bed crying loudly. He cried for things he had never cried over before, his parents, the years of neglect at the Dursleys, the fear of not being able to be what people expected him to be and his loneliness.  
  
When he had calmed down, he took his quill and wrote to L everything that had happened. It was cathartic to have someone in whom to confide, even if that someone might be Voldemort's minion and out to get him. At that moment Harry didn't really much care.  
  
L answered him that very same day. He advised him to pretend that nothing had happened and let Snape decide what he was going to do about Harry's outburst. The next day Harry went down to the potions lab to find Snape with dark circles under his eyes and an exhausted expression trying desperately to copy down Slytherin's book.  
  
"There are copy charms for that, you know?" said Harry.  
  
"No, there aren't. This book is magically protected against those. Copyright has been around in the wizarding world far longer than in the Muggle one. I've spent the whole night trying to find a loophole in the protective charms, but I couldn't. Then again the book was written by Slytherin and Ravenclaw; it shouldn't have surprised me that much," said Snape torn between pride and depression.  
  
"You can keep it for as long as you need. I already told you so."  
  
"You hate me, Potter. Why would you give me something that would make me...?"  
  
"Happy?" completed Harry for him.  
  
"Content," Snape corrected him.  
  
"I'm a Gryffindor. We are stupid like that, or so you keep saying."  
  
"What do you want in exchange?"  
  
"Don't tell Dumbledore about the letters, please."  
  
"You're a very bad negotiator, Potter. I had already agreed to that. Besides, if nothing else this book has proven to me that our concerned Death Eater is not in league with the Dark Lord. A follower of the Dark Lord would never allow this book anywhere near Dumbledore.  
  
"There are potions here that could delay the Dark Lord's quest for immortality considerably, maybe even help destroy him forever. More than half of the Potions described here are completely new to me, and that's saying something. I have tried to read as fast as I could but the book is huge." The gleam in Snape's eyes reminded Harry of Hermione when she was about to start one of her 'light reading materials'. He couldn't suppress a smile.  
  
"Why wouldn't he have given the book to Voldemort, though? I mean, at some point in time he was loyal to him, wasn't he?"  
  
"Most of the Dark Lord's followers are with him because of the power to be gained. Only very few are really loyal. Actually, Crouch Junior and the Lestranges are the only ones that come to mind. Each and every one of the potions contained here are power in their own right. Most Death Eaters would be hard pressed to give something like that away."  
  
"Why give it to me, though?" asked Harry confused.  
  
"That's my question too. It's evident from the information we have been gaining from this concerned Death Eater that he is a member of Dark Lord's inner circle. However, I can't really come up with anyone in the circle who would be willing to part with such a powerful book. I had been speculating about possible candidates, but this ruins all my theories. None of them would have done this willingly. By Slytherin, not even I would have done it."  
  
"Well, you would have shown the book to Dumbledore and he..."  
  
"Would have confiscated it immediately," Snape interrupted him. "Albus can be quite unscrupulous when it comes to the Dark Lord. What I don't understand is why a Death Eater, no matter how concerned, would send you this book as a birthday present. It isn't something that you would enjoy. You don't have the level of Potions' knowledge needed to understand this book fully."  
  
"Thanks," said Harry sarcastically. "I don't know why he gave it to me either. I know that I asked him to..." Harry interrupted himself swiftly, before he could betray more in front of Snape. However, it was too late. Snape wouldn't have survived this many years as a spy, if he weren't capable of noticing such slips.  
  
"What did you ask him, Potter?"  
  
"Nothing," answered Harry too fast. Snape just arched his eyebrow, waiting.  
  
"I told him that my only birthday wish was foryoutobeciviltome," said Harry blushing with embarrassment.  
  
"Could you repeat that last part?"  
  
"For you to be civil to me. Happy now? He gave me the book and told me that with it I could bargain civility out of you. But you don't have to... be civil that is. I... you may keep the book anyway, Gryffindor stupidity and all that."  
  
Snape regarded him for a long time as if trying to find a trap in Harry's words. After a minute that seemed like an hour to Harry he ordered Harry to collect the ingredients for making Veritaserum.  
  
The book wasn't mentioned again, although on more than one occasion Harry found Snape engrossed in reading it. From that day forward the Potions Master took great care to be civil to him. On more that one occasion he would open his mouth to make a scorching or disparaging comment only to close it again before anything was said. After that Harry's summer became almost perfect. He still had as much work as before, but Snape's lack of open hostility was a significant improvement. 

* * *

  
  
The beginning of his seventh year took Harry by surprise. It was the first time he hadn't counted how many days were left for school to begin. He was very happy to have his friends back, but for him life didn't change much. He took his regular subjects during the day and used every bit of free time he had to keep up with his extra classes.  
  
He gave up his Quidditch Captain's duties. He tried to stop being a Seeker too, but the rest of the team wouldn't hear of it. They insisted that he play even if he only trained once a week. The team trusted his natural talent and for that Harry had been very grateful. Playing Quidditch helped him relax and with all the stress he was under he needed it.  
  
The other bright spot in Harry's stressed life was his continuing correspondence with L. The tentative friendship they had formed over the summer started to consolidate itself step by step. Harry wrote to him about his adventures in school, from the Philosopher' Stone to the whole deal with the Order of the Phoenix. L wrote about his childhood, his parents and some of his acquaintances.  
  
L had been particularly interested in the events relating to the Chamber of Secrets. He confessed to Harry that he was a friend of Lucius Malfoy. He had even been aware of what Malfoy intended to do with Riddle's diary, but hadn't done anything to stop him. Mostly because he truly believed that Mudbloods shouldn't be in Hogwarts. Nevertheless, he felt guilty for putting Harry's life indirectly at risk. As he explained to Harry in a letter, if Malfoy had succeeded he would have never learned to know the real Harry behind the Boy Who Lived.  
  
From then on their letters became heated political discussions. L gave his arguments for not wanting Muggle-born students at Hogwarts. Harry provided him with counterarguments and so it went back and forth. They moved from there to the position of the Ministry regarding the war and Fudge's overall incompetence to handle the situation.  
  
Harry asked why L had become a Death Eater in the first place, and L told him about his motives, ideals and ambitions when he had first joined the Dark Lord. Harry also learned what moved L to change sides as well. It was the knowledge that Voldemort wanted to kill wizards like Harry, who were a great addition to the Wizarding community. L had then realized that his long term aims and Voldemort's weren't one and the same any more.  
  
When Christmas arrived they moved to the topic of family. Harry told him about Sirius and how his death had affected him. L confessed that he had a son who attended Hogwarts too, and that he had been married to a woman for a very long time, although they had divorced some time ago. He told Harry about the most important relationships in his past and about people who had made an impact on who he was today. To Harry's surprise Severus Snape was one of those people.  
  
Harry told him about his relationship with Draco, how they had gone from rivals to lovers and from lovers to friends. He kept L updated on the things he was learning at school and in his extra lessons, as well as the slow-growing friendship between him and Severus. A friendship that Harry hoped was mutual. 

* * *

  
  
_Harry smiled predatorily at his writhing lover. He kissed the sensuous mouth once more, exploring the moist cavern almost greedily. His lover's taste was a very potent aphrodisiac all by itself. Reluctantly he abandoned the now panting mouth to fasten on the junction of neck and collarbone. The resulting moan roused the fire in Harry, making him want even more.  
  
Harry bit his lover hard, a small punishment for being so desirable that control was an impossibility. Hands gripped his shoulders, pulling him even closer. Perfectly cut nails left red traces in their path. Harry screamed, the pain only sharpening the overwhelming pleasure. With rough uncoordinated movements he parted his lover's legs, too far gone to carry on with the slow seduction he had planned. His lover arched his hips moaning encouragingly.  
  
"Please... in me... now. It's been so long... can't wait... Now... Please!"  
  
Pleas, gasps and moans made Harry wild with need; he couldn't wait any longer. A spell took care of the preparation. Finger-fucking his lover the Muggle way until he was beyond speech would have to wait for another day. It didn't matter. They had their whole life before them. With one swift motion Harry slid inside his lover's body. The tight slick walls contracted around him so hard that it was almost painful. He couldn't get enough. He stopped for an instant to give them both time to adjust to the sudden intrusion.  
  
His lover was looking at him, eyes clouded with pleasure. The tight canal where Harry was sheathed squeezed him once more. What little control Harry had left deserted him completely. He pulled back only to push forward with renewed force. His lover met him thrust for thrust. The bed squeaked and moved under them. Harry's movements were getting faster and more desperate. His right hand surrounded his lover's erection and he started to stroke the wet hardness in time with his thrusts.  
  
With a satisfied grunt he heard his lover scream, body tensing, instants before the force of his orgasm overtook him. The spasms of his lover's climax pushed Harry over the edge. With three more deep thrusts he spent himself inside his lover before collapsing on top of him._  
  
Harry woke up with a start. A dream, it has just been a dream. With a disgusted sigh Harry regarded the mess that was his bed and pyjamas. It was the fourth time that week it happened. He didn't even bother remembering that the week still had two more days to go. With a flick of his wand he cleaned the mess. He snickered a bit, imagining Flitwick's face if he knew what use Harry gave his cleaning charms' lessons. Then again he probably did know; the school was full of teenagers after all.  
  
He lay in his bed pondering his situation. He was falling in a love with a complete stranger. A complete stranger who knew him better than anyone else. A part of his mind reminded him that he also knew quite a bit about this stranger's life. However, the other part never ceased to remind him that for all he knew this still could be an elaborate plan of Voldemort's to get rid of him.  
  
There was evidence that spoke against it. L's information regarding the Dark Lord's plans was genuine and very useful. Thanks to it the Order had been able to save many lives and stop Voldemort on more than one occasion. Nevertheless, he couldn't forget Severus' advice in his DADA lessons. 'Sometimes the more insignificant the possibility seems, the more likely it could be the one that can save your life or get you killed.' No matter how hard he tried, the small voice inside him kept telling him not to fall for someone he couldn't trust totally. The only problem was that it was too late for that.  
  
'The only way to achieve your long-term goals is to acknowledge your fears and needs, work to overcome the former and fulfil the latter.' That had been another of Severus' pieces of advice. They had in the past months crossed the bridge from mutual respect towards friendship. Although nobody in the school was the wiser about it. Actually both of them took great pleasure in plotting their public confrontations.  
  
Under Severus' tutelage Harry had discovered the true joys of Ancient Runes, Potions and DADA. The older man proved to be a wonderful teacher once you got past his sarcasm. In a way Harry even enjoyed the Potions Master's twisted sense of humour as well as their verbal sparring. Slowly but steadily they had formed a cautious friendship that became firmer with time.  
  
Harry wanted to ask someone for guidance regarding the L issue, but neither Draco, nor Ron, nor Hermione knew anything about L. The information he provided was a well kept secret. Apart from Severus, Dumbledore and himself nobody else in the Order was aware that the information they had came from a different source than Severus.  
  
Severus would be the logical option. But by now he knew Severus well enough to know that the Potions Master would kill him if he ever found out that Harry was even considering the idea of meeting L in secret. The older man was never happy when Harry risked his life foolishly. He couldn't ask Severus for assistance, but that didn't mean that he couldn't use his friend's advice. Harry decided to approach the problem systematically as Severus had taught him to do.  
  
His long term goal was a relationship with L. Seven months had passed since they had started exchanging personal letters. In that time Harry had come to realise that L was all he wanted in a partner. He was intelligent, witty and understanding. Trustworthy was still in the open, but with a strong probability that it could also be true. Besides, if their recent letters were something to go by they would be _very_ compatible in bed.  
  
Harry smirked at the memory of those particular letters. They had started harmlessly enough, flirting here and there. However, he was absolutely sure that in the last weeks they had redefined Muggles' adults only criteria. In the last letter Harry had come without touching himself. L had a very wicked way with words and charms. Until that day Harry hadn't know that it was possible to charm words so that the person reading them would experience exactly what was described. Muggles' virtual reality was nothing in comparison. He didn't touch himself at all. He hadn't needed to.  
  
Harry tore his thoughts away from the pleasant memories and went back to the problem at hand. He had his long term goal. His immediate need however was far simpler. He wanted to shag L: hard and fast, slow and thoroughly, with magic and without it, in each and every position known to Muggles and wizards alike. Finally, his most pressing fear was to fall into Voldemort's hands.  
  
Following Severus' advice he needed to work towards satisfying his needs and overcoming his fears without completely disregarding them. Once he managed that the long-term goal would practically fulfil itself.  
  
To shag L he needed to meet him. The difficulty was in meeting him without running the risk of falling prey to the Dark Lord. He hadn't been getting extra lessons in every subject for more than half a year for nothing, though. With an evil smile that would have reminded Severus of James Potter and would have made the Marauders and the Weasley twins equally proud, Harry decided that he had some plotting to do. 

* * *

  
  
Lucius sat in a comfortable green armchair in one of the many living rooms of Malfoy Manor. He contemplated the fireplace with an absent look, while his mind drifted off to his current problems. Very soon he would have to let Dumbledore know that he was the one behind the information. Voldemort was becoming more and more distrustful of late. Lucius had been very careful not to report everything he knew. That way the Dark Lord couldn't pinpoint him as the traitor, but the situation was getting slowly out of control.  
  
He had stopped four attempts against Harry's life in the past seven months, but the last one had been a close call. Blind rage filled him whenever he considered what Voldemort would do to his chosen mate if he ever captured him. Yes, it was time to make the final move and checkmate the Dark King.  
  
He needed to reveal himself to the Headmaster. The only thing stopping him was Harry. Their current letters were full of sexual innuendo; some of them were downright pornographic. Lucius' cock throbbed happily at the memory. Nevertheless, there was a difference between flirting with L and flirting with Lucius Malfoy.  
  
He wasn't sure of how Harry would take the news about his real identity. He hated uncertainty. All his plans depended on Harry's reaction. He closed his eyes and remembered how it had felt to have Harry on top of him, inside him. The memories were enough to ignite an all-consuming need in him. It had been almost a year since the last time they had been together. Letters, Pensieves, charms and his imagination couldn't compare to the reality of having Harry's hard cock thrusting into him.  
  
In his next letter he would ask the boy to meet him. He had wanted the first move to be Harry's, but time was running out. He hoped that the Gryffindor would be open to his advances once he found out who he really was. If the boy didn't accept him willingly he would have to change his strategy. If things didn't develop favourably he would simply kidnap Harry and make him see reason. He could blame it on the Dark Lord and once Voldemort was dead no one would be the wiser.  
  
Hopefully Harry would be willing, though. Lucius knew his chosen mate well enough to know that if he used force to get the Gryffindor he would never be forgiven. Harry might eventually get used to being his prisoner, but even in the best case scenario a small part of him would always hate Lucius.  
  
Breaking the boy and remaking him to suit Lucius' desires wasn't an option. He loved Harry as he was: full of Gryffindor courage and pride and with a bare hint of Slytherin sneakiness. Turning the boy into an unwilling slave would change him. It wasn't what Lucius wanted. If his plans were successful, though, Harry would agree to be with him of his own free will.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Seth. Lucius' expression turned anticipatory. If Harry's last letter was something to judge by, he would enjoy this one very much. He considered stripping before reading it, but decided not to. It wasn't as if he cared about house-elves having extra work. He opened the letter slowly, relishing the anticipation. However, instead of a lengthy detailed description of a sexual fantasy there was just one word written on it.  
  
_SURPRISE!_  
  
Lucius had barely finished reading the word when he felt the characteristic pull at his navel that indicated the activation of a Portkey. He tried to get his cane, which was located on a small table to his left, but his world became a myriad of changing colours before he could reach it.  
  
Instants later he found himself in a deserted room, wandless. He searched the area around him for possible threats, body tense and ready to attack at the slightest provocation. He might not have his wand with him but he wasn't helpless by far. There was a four-poster bed in the middle of the room adorned with green curtains, which were drawn back. Two armchairs sat abandoned front a fireplace. The light coming from the latter illuminated the room, although a great part of it was still submerged in shadows. A work table with some books, ink, quills and parchments on it stood in the left corner of the room.  
  
The place looked hauntingly familiar. Flabbergasted, Lucius recognized those musty old stone walls. He was at Hogwarts. Not only at Hogwarts, but in the room where he and Harry used to meet when he was impersonating his son. Suddenly, Lucius realised what was going on. His posture relaxed visibly and he searched the room once more. This time he did not look with his eyes, but with his Harry-detector, that place inside him that always tingled whenever he and the Gryffindor were in the same room.  
  
His body shuddered with excitement. Oh yes, Harry Potter was in the room. His eyes focussed on a particular spot near the fireplace. He couldn't _see_ the green gaze assessing him, but he could _feel_ it penetrating his very core.  
  
"Aren't you going to show yourself? I know you're here, Harry." He smiled self-satisfied, when there was a ripple of air in the exact place his eyes had been fixed on.  
  
His smile didn't falter when he saw the steady wand pointed directly at him. If anything, he relaxed even more, relishing the thrill that the two sparks of green anger stirred in him. It was time to reclaim what was his. Harry had made the first move. Now it was his turn. And this time there wouldn't be any mistakes.  
  
"You?!" asked Harry, his voice a blend of disbelief, anger and disappointment.  
  
"I did tell you that L suited me better than CDE ever did. Are you really that surprised? Who were you expecting then?" asked Lucius nonchalantly.  
  
"I... don't know, but I certainly wasn't expecting you," said Harry, for the first time aware that in all those months he hadn't really thought much about it. He hadn't bothered trying to match a possible name with the person behind the letters. He had become so used to thinking of his mysterious friend as L, that he subconsciously had avoided thinking about the real implications of his friend being a Death Eater.  
  
"Obviously," said Lucius amused. "Is this the time where I comment about Gryffindors and their foolishness?"  
  
"Don't mock the Gryffindor, L," answered Harry automatically. It was an inside joke between the two of them. It was then that Harry was truly hit by it. L was Lucius Malfoy. The person he had been confiding in all those months, flirting with and secretly falling in love with was no other than Lucius Malfoy. He lowered his wand with uncertainty. He now had a face and name for his dream-lover. The only problem was he didn't know whether it was good or bad.  
  
"Merlin, you really are L," he added unnecessarily.  
  
"I know that you weren't expecting me, but please, Harry, give me a chance. Give _us_ a chance! I'd like to believe that we shared something special in our letters, a friendship of sorts. You've said so yourself. Just let us try, please." Lucius was suddenly afraid that this would turn into another argument like the one they had when Harry discovered Lucius' true identity back in his sixth year. He silently willed Harry to understand. Even if Harry would never remember what had transpired then, Lucius would. It wasn't an experience he looked forward to undergoing again.  
  
"I..." Harry stopped as if unsure of what to say. "I thought Malfoys never begged. At least that's what Draco keeps telling me," he commented, even though that wasn't what he had wanted to say. He needed time to think.  
  
"We don't. But for you I'm willing to make an exception. For you I'm willing to make as many exceptions as necessary."  
  
"I don't know what to say."  
  
"Don't say anything then. You don't have to decide today. Think about it calmly. Sleep on it. I can wait. After all, I've been waiting this long. Another week or another month won't make a difference."  
  
"That sounds like something that my L would say," said Harry sadly.  
  
"I am your L, Harry. Why don't you want to accept that? Everything I told you in those letters is true. My childhood, my family, my dreams, my motives and ambitions, everything is true. I might not have signed as Lucius Malfoy, but that doesn't make it any less real. It is my life you hold in those letters. I am your L."  
  
"I know. A part of me knows. But another part of me has trouble matching the image I have of Lucius Malfoy with the image I have of L."  
  
"I can understand that. I went through it myself. It wasn't easy to match the idea I had of the Boy Who Lived with the idea I had of Harry. However, I pride myself that I was able to see the person behind the mask. Are you willing to try and do the same for me? We all wear masks, Harry. The only difference is that some masks are more pleasant to look at than others."  
  
'The person behind the Boy Who Lived,' Harry repeated silently in his mind. It was then that Harry knew with certainty that he was willing to try. All his life he had had to put up with people who only saw the Boy Who Lived instead of the real him. He could count on his fingers those few who had bothered to look past the faade. L was one of them. Harry owed it to him at least to try.  
  
"Fine, I'm willing to give it a try," he said, still uncertain.  
  
"That's all I ask from you... for now," Lucius added, and the smile that accompanied the last two words was almost predatory.  
  
Harry laughed out loud. He was suddenly invaded by an inexplicable happiness. They would be all right. He just knew it. "You don't lose time, do you?"  
  
"Time is power. Never let it be said that I let power escape through my fingers. In the end, I'm a Slytherin, and a Malfoy to boot. Now, do you care to explain what prompted you to bring me here without warning me first about it?"  
  
"I... well... I guess there's no better way to put it. I wanted to shag you. I've been dreaming about it for weeks now. I decided that the only way to get my wish was to bring you to Hogwarts. As for why I didn't warn you? Well, I wasn't totally sure of where your true loyalties lay. It looked like a good idea at the time."  
  
"What if I had been with Voldemort or other Death Eaters when the Portkey activated? You would have ended up with more than you bargained for."  
  
"Not really. The Portkey was designed to activate itself only if there were no other wizards around within a thirty foot radius."  
  
"What if somebody else read the letter instead of me?"  
  
"It would only be activated by your magical signature."  
  
"My magical signature? How in Slytherin's name did you find a sample of it?" asked Lucius, perplexed.  
  
"From that useful little charm you put on your last letter. The one that make me come in my trousers," he added for emphasis. Slowly they were falling into their usual teasing patterns. Suddenly it wasn't so difficult any more to see L in front of him. The banter was achingly familiar. L was Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"All that extra tutoring is starting to pay off... in more ways that one," added Lucius, voice full of innuendo. His eyes travelled slowly up and down Harry's body taking in every nuance. They halted for a moment at Harry's groin, before continuing their path north. "You've grown since last I saw you," Lucius commented, licking his lips slowly.  
  
"Yes, I have." It was Harry's turn to examine Lucius' body, and he did so, taking his time. For the first time he noticed the aristocratic hands, much larger than Draco's, and wondered how they would feel exploring his body. He imagined his fingers ensnared in that long silky mane, while he fucked the arrogant mouth. Hard.  
  
He saw the similarities to Draco, but more than that, he saw the differences. Harry saw the power and danger emanating from the smiling predator in front of him. He wanted to make the man lose control. More than anything he wanted to make him yield. He knew, however, that even in his submission Lucius would remain strong. Harry liked the idea of it.  
  
"Do you like what you see?" It was more a statement than a question on Lucius' part.  
  
"I most definitely do, but you already knew that." Harry's voice was husky. The part of his mind that kept telling him that it was a bad idea to flirt with Lucius was becoming fainter and fainter. Harry wanted this. He had been dreaming about it for months. It was with precisely this in mind that he had sent that Portkey. 'I want to shag L' became 'I want to have sex with Lucius Malfoy' and he didn't even realise it.  
  
"What about my dubious loyalties?" Lucius asked teasingly.  
  
"I am a Gryffindor, am I not? Rushing blindly into danger is our main reason for existence. I'm willing to take the risk."  
  
"Don't tease the Gryffindor, Harry."  
  
"Hey, you're stealing my lines," said Harry in mock anger.  
  
"Only because you stole mine first. However, you really needn't worry about my loyalties. They will always lie with us. Besides, I don't even have my wand with me. I'm quite _helpless_ at the moment."  
  
Harry laughed at that. "We both know that that isn't true, L."  
  
"Maybe, but we could always pretend," Lucius suggested, smirking.  
  
"Isn't it a little too soon in our relationship to be role playing 'Helpless Death Eater and evil Boy Who Lived'?" asked Harry with a dark smile, eyes flashing dangerously.  
  
"I don't know, is it? You are the one with the wand." Lucius' voice was equally full of dark promises.  
  
Harry circled Lucius slowly, like a cat playing with its prey. Lucius remained still, body taut with burning desire and anticipation. Soon. Soon Harry would be his. And then nothing and nobody would pry them apart. His smile was as greedy as Harry's but the motives behind it were completely different.  
  
"Tell me, Lucius, will you submit to me? Will you spread your legs willingly and beg me to fuck you like the slut you are? Will you come for me, cock untouched, just from the feeling of me buried deep inside you?" Harry's breath felt hot in Lucius' ear. It sent shivers down his spine. He could feel Harry's hardness pressing against his ass. He wanted nothing more than to tilt his hips backwards to get more contact, but he made himself remain still. Not just yet.  
  
"Yes. I already told you, Harry. For you I'm willing to make as many exceptions as needed. Anything you want."  
  
Harry's tongue played with Lucius' earlobe for an instant. "Good," Harry said before retreating to one of the armchairs near the fireplace. He sat down gracefully, lecherous eyes never leaving his intended prey. Time stood still. Green eyes looked into silver, both predator and prey. It was Harry's voice that interrupted the silence.  
  
"Strip." A command.  
  
Lucius smiled darkly. Once more it was his turn to play. 

* * *

  
  
Hours later they lay on the rumpled bed sheets, bodies momentarily satiated. Harry's head was resting on Lucius' chest. His eyes were closed and a satisfied smile covered his lips. He felt like purring every time Lucius' fingers ran through his hair. Having Lucius Malfoy, ex-Death Eater supreme, at his mercy had been a mind-blowing experience.  
  
Lucius was an incredibly skilled lover. Not once had the older Slytherin shown hesitation. He had known where and how to touch Harry to inflame him with passion. He knew what to say, how to look, how to kiss. Harry hadn't been with anybody else apart from Draco, but he knew that this near telepathy that seemed to exist between him and Lucius wasn't common.  
  
A part of him kept thinking that it wasn't the first time they had been together. Spilling himself inside Lucius had felt like coming home. However, he couldn't remember ever feeling that way before. Notwithstanding how much he had liked Draco he knew with certainty that Lucius Malfoy was the person with whom he was meant to be.  
  
It scared him that after just one night together he was ready for such a level of commitment. Maybe they had been together in another life after all. If he concentrated hard enough, he could sense at the very edge of his mind the assurance that this wasn't the first time he had fallen in love with the elder Malfoy. He didn't say it aloud, though. He knew that Lucius would burst out laughing at the mere suggestion. The Slytherin didn't strike him as the sentimental type.  
  
"Are you now convinced of my true identity?" Lucius voice interrupted his train of thought.  
  
"Not quite yet. Maybe after you prove to me that you're capable of doing that thing with your tongue that you described in your last letter I will be," Harry commented smiling.  
  
"Potter, if you want me to have any more sex with you tonight you'll have to steal one of Snape's aphrodisiacs all by yourself. I'm not moving from this bed, and without the help of a potion I highly doubt that I can get it up again so soon."  
  
Harry laughed. "Don't worry; I don't think I could get it up again either. I was thinking more along the lines of 'next time we meet'. Everybody keeps telling me that investigations have to be done thoroughly. It will take me more than one encounter to truly prove your identity. Provided you're interested, that is."  
  
"Well, you're right. This is a serious matter. I fully agree that it would require more than _one_ session," Lucius said, not bothering to stop the anticipation from showing in his voice.  
  
"You know, for someone who claimed in his letters to enjoy bottoming so much, you were deliciously tight."  
  
"The fact that I enjoy bottoming for you doesn't mean that I would allow anyone else to do it," explained Lucius in what he hoped was an arrogant manner.  
  
"I see. So, who else do you feel is good enough to deserve the honour of topping Lucius Malfoy?" asked Harry curiously, although he couldn't quite repress the sudden stab of jealousy.  
  
Silence was his only answer. Harry turned around so that he could see Lucius' face. His body was now resting atop of Lucius', legs entwined with that of his lover.  
  
"Lucius, come on! You can tell me..." The unreadable expression on Lucius' face made Harry stop what he was about to say. An idea was nagging at the back of his mind, but it was so ludicrous that it didn't bear further consideration. However, he couldn't stop himself from asking, "I'm not the first one, am I?"  
  
If anything Lucius' expression became even more inscrutable.  
  
It was then that Harry knew. "Oh my God! You... I... You were a virgin!" It sounded ridiculous even to Harry's ears.  
  
"Virgin is not a word I would use to describe myself, no matter the circumstances," Lucius answered, a bit piqued. He had most definitely bottomed before, even if he hadn't been using his current body at the time.  
  
"Oh God!" Harry couldn't quite get his mind around the concept that he had just taken the virginity of Lucius Malfoy. And Lucius was right: 'virgin' and 'Malfoy' were two words that no person in their right mind would use in the same sentence. Unless it was accompanied by 'ravished' and 'corrupted' and Lucius was being accused of doing it. Harry burst out laughing.  
  
"What?" Lucius asked, annoyed.  
  
"Nothing... I'm just picturing the headlines: 'Boy Who Lived ravishes and corrupts virgin Death Eater Lucius Malfoy'." Harry laughed even harder at Lucius' aggravated look. Slowly Lucius' lips curved slightly upwards and then the two of them were laughing non-stop.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Harry after they had calmed down.  
  
"Because you would have gone all Gryffindor on me, being disgustingly gentle and sweet. It wasn't what I wanted. I wanted hard, fast, earth-shattering sex, with you pounding into me as if there was no tomorrow."  
  
"I hope you got your wish then."  
  
"I always do. I'm a Malfoy," said Lucius smugly.  
  
"Did I hurt you?" Harry asked, suddenly realizing some of the implications of Lucius' revelation.  
  
"By Salazar, Potter! Don't go all mushy on me now. You reduced me to a quivering mass of aching need, blew me, rimmed me and finger-fucked me until I didn't even know what my name was. Trust me; by the time I managed to convince you to enter me, pain was the last of my worries."  
  
Harry's cock gave a tentative stir at Lucius' blunt description of what they had done together. Maybe he wasn't so exhausted after all. With a mischievous grin Harry crawled up Lucius' body until they were face to face. He kissed Lucius sweetly and tenderly, almost chastely.  
  
"Please, forgive me, darling. I swear that I will never try to pressure you again into doing something that you don't want. We'll do this slowly. You can stop me whenever you want," he said with mock gentleness, while his fingers brushed Lucius' left cheek softly.  
  
Lucius' eyes narrowed dangerously. Before Harry had time to react his lover had reversed their positions. He was pinned under Lucius' body. His wrists were trapped in an iron grip in one of Malfoy's hands. The other hand was holding his head firmly in place. In a low threatening tone Lucius said, "I think it is time to show you that just because I like to bottom, it doesn't mean that I'm any less in charge here."  
  
Harry's eyes glinted in anticipation, "By all means, show me!" and as an afterthought he added, "darling." 

* * *

  
  
Two weeks later Lucius revealed his true identity to Dumbledore and Snape. He used the importance of his high ranking position among the Death Eaters and the value of the information he had provided and could still provide to strike a hard bargain. Lucius reclaimed his position as school Governor, as well as total indemnity for his crimes. Moreover, he also negotiated indemnity for some of his fellow Death Eaters. He convinced the Headmaster that many of them would be willing to change sides if they were assured that no punishment would be imparted.  
  
Most of the Dark Lord's followers had grown tired of Voldemort and his insane quest to kill the Boy Who Kept Living. They only remained with Riddle out of fear for their lives. Lucius, a man who never lost an opportunity, milked his treason for all it was worth. He won pardons for those among the Death Eaters who were loyal to him like Goyle, Crabbe, Avery and Macnair.  
  
The ones who were a threat to his power or against whom he had a grudge he didn't bother to mention. When Voldemort died, they would die with him or end up in Azkaban. It had been, in Lucius' opinion, a very satisfactory deal. In exchange he promised to keep gathering information for Dumbledore and to obtain the support of the Vampires for the final battle.  
  
The idea to eliminate Voldemort once and for all was fairly simple. It had come from Harry. He had been telling Lucius some anecdotes about his life at the Dursleys that his lover didn't know yet. In a passing thought Harry had commented that his family hated magic so much that one would think they were allergic to it.  
  
Lucius' expression had become vacant for an instant. Then his eyes had gleamed madly. He jumped from the bed as if it was on fire. With a flick of his wand he had been fully dressed. When Harry had asked him what was wrong he had smiled viciously and told Harry he was a genius. He laughed aloud at Harry's confused expression, before leaving the room to go in search of Hogwarts' Potions Master. After that he and Severus --with the help of Slytherin's potions book-- spent two and half months working non-stop to develop a potion that caused an allergic reaction to magic in the drinker.  
  
Slipping the potion into Voldemort's drink had been far easier than Lucius ever dreamed. After that, they only had to wait for the potion to take effect. They designed it to be slow acting. It functioned by gradually sensitizing the body of the drinker to magic. The more magic the person did the more vulnerable he became. After six months an average wizard would get an allergic shock from casting the simplest levitation charm. In the Dark Lord's case it only took about three months.  
  
Lucius was the first one to notice the decreasing amount of magic Voldemort seemed to be using. More and more it was left to Wormtail to punish those Death Eaters who had displeased Him. When Lucius was summoned to a meeting by owl instead of by the usual ripping pain in his Dark Mark, he knew that the time had come.  
  
That night after leaving the Riddle Mansion he tested the wards protecting it. The magical signature wasn't Voldemort's but Wormtail's. And like him they were weak and faulty. Their plan had worked. Dumbledore needed to be informed.  
  
In less than two weeks Albus managed to gather all his forces: Aurors, giants, vampires, werewolves, Hogwarts graduates who hadn't been blinded by Fudge's useless denials, and even a stray goblin or two. All of them were on Hogwarts' grounds waiting for Dumbledore's orders to begin the attack on the Riddle Mansion.  
  
The battle was ruthless but short. Outnumbered, and with their leader practically incapacitated from doing magic, the remaining Death Eaters who hadn't been warned off by Lucius didn't really stand a chance.  
  
When the battle was almost over, the Dark Lord gathered the last vestiges of his magical energy and managed to create a Duelling-Barrier that separated him and Harry from the rest of the battlefield. Lucius had been mad with rage when he saw it. He threw curse after curse trying in vain to break the barrier, but everything he did was useless. At his side he could see Severus and Dumbledore trying to do the same. In the end Dumbledore was the one who stopped them.  
  
"There's nothing we can do now," he said in a defeated voice. "The barrier is too strong. Harry must have accepted the duel offered by Voldemort. It is his acceptance that gives the barrier the added strength. Even if we wanted we can't interfere any more. It goes against Wizarding Duelling Laws."  
  
"I don't care about Wizarding Duelling Laws. Harry is in there battling the Dark Lord alone and I want him out," said Lucius furiously.  
  
"So do I, Lucius, but magical Duelling-Barriers are unbreakable. They draw force from the earth to keep themselves up. You know that, just as you know that once such a magical barrier is in place it only comes down when one the duel is over. We are wasting our time here. The battle is still going on," Dumbledore reminded Malfoy.  
  
"He's well prepared, Lucius. And he is extremely powerful," said Severus at last. "Let him fight the Dark Lord by himself. It isn't what I would have wanted either, but it is up to him now. Harry can defeat him, and if he doesn't..." Snape eyes turned impossibly hard and his mouth had a cruel edge to it, which promised the most painful of deaths for anyone who dared harm his friend, Dark Lord or not.  
  
'No death,' Lucius thought. 'If Harry doesn't make it death will be the least of Voldemort's worries. I'll make sure of that.' Lucius didn't answer aloud, but he and Severus looked at each other with cruel determination.  
  
Not even Dumbledore with all his years of experience in dealing with the Potions Master and dark wizards in general could fully comprehend the silent conversation between the two of them. Having dealt with dark wizards wasn't enough for him to understand what would happen to Voldemort if Harry died. One had _to be_ a Dark Wizard --a powerful one at that-- to truly read that exchange. One thing was clear. Should Harry die, the Dark Lord didn't stand a chance.  
  
Finally Lucius tore his eyes away from Severus. There was nothing for him to do there. He redirected all his fury and helplessness to the ongoing battle. With no small satisfaction he saw men, whom at a time he had called colleagues, fall at his feet every time a flash of green left his wand. Harry's green. He didn't feel sorry for them. Death was better than Azkaban. Death was better than Lord Voldemort's fate should anything happen to his Harry.  
  
He lifted his wand once more, this time to kill Wormtail, when an all-consuming pain seized his left arm. It came from his Dark Mark. It was a thousand times worse than a hundred curses together. It burnt through his arm and reached his heart. He was ablaze. He was dying. The last thing he saw, before his world turned black, were green eyes looking back at him, triumphant and hateful.  
  
His Harry had succeeded. He had killed Voldemort. It would have been a happy thought if in that instant Lucius Malfoy and Lord Voldemort had not been one and the same. 

* * *

  
  
Lucius woke up in pain. There wasn't a part of him that didn't ache. Some of the worst bursts of pain came from parts of his body he hadn't even known existed. Mustering all his strength he opened his eyes. That small movement caused millions of knives to twist inside of him. He screamed, but the only sound that came out of him was a muffled whimper in the back of his throat.  
  
"Lucius, you are awake. I'll call a nurse immediately. Don't try to move."  
  
Harry's voice filled him with hope. Everything would be all right, even if he never stopped aching. Harry was alive. A part of his mind complained that he had become truly pathetic as far as the boy was concerned. He didn't bother denying it. It was true. The most pathetic thing of all was that it didn't bother him.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, it's good to see you back among the living. This will hurt a bit at first but then you'll feel better."  
  
He wanted to tell the stupid witch that it already hurt a lot, but before he could decide if it would be worth the additional pain, she murmured an incantation. The pain increased suddenly and then became just a distant throb, almost like the after-effects of a particular nasty Cruciatus. He was used to those.  
  
"Wonderful," said the mediwitch so cheerfully that Lucius would have cursed her immediately if it weren't for the fact that he didn't feel like moving any time soon. "Mr. Potter, please make sure he drinks this potion every two hours for the next three days. I'll go check on Mr. Snape. He should be awakening sometime soon."  
  
"I thought... I thought you were dead. When..." A broken sob escaped Harry's lips. He looked a mess. His clothes were crusted with dried blood. His eyes were swollen and there were dark circles under them. He appeared exhausted. He probably was.  
  
"What h...happened?" Lucius rasped. It hurt to talk too.  
  
"I happened. I killed Voldemort, for real this time. All those branded with the Dark Mark almost died with him. Some... some of them did. Merlin, Lucius, I could have killed you or Severus. Voldemort wasn't worth that. I... If you had died... I would have never been able to forg..."  
  
"Hush love, I'm alive... Severus will be okay too. You heard the nurse. Everything else is irrelevant." It took a great effort to keep his voice steady, but he managed it. Barely.  
  
"I... You were in a coma for three days. The people in St. Mungo's didn't even want to help you at first. They... they said you all deserved it for being Death Eaters. I almost killed the bloody bastard who said it."  
  
"Actually, it's a pity you were unconscious when it happened, father. It was a lovely sight," said Draco, entering the room. He conjured a chair next to Harry and sat down. "The idiot wet himself, literally. Not that I blame him. Harry did look murderous at the time, high on magical power, and still covered with fresh blood and mud. Now he just looks tired and dirty, like he's about to drop dead any minute."  
  
"I don't look like I'm about to drop dead," said Harry angrily.  
  
"Harry, love, you haven't slept or eaten in the last three days. You're most definitely about to drop dead," commented Draco imperturbably.  
  
"Eat something immediately!" Lucius ordered in a hard tone. "Eat something now or I will leave the bed and force-feed you myself. Is that clear?"  
  
"Lucius, you're in no condition to leave the bed," said Harry.  
  
"Unless you want to test that theory I recommend you to eat. Now!"  
  
Harry gave Draco an irritated look. He conjured some sandwiches and ate them with the petulance of a five year old. Draco looked at him smugly and continued with his tale.  
  
"Where was I? Ah, yes! We Apparated here immediately after the battle was over, Harry carrying you and me carrying Severus. Dumbledore and everybody else remained at the battlefield making sure that they found every unconscious Death Eater. Anyway, we arrived here and when Harry explained to the guy in charge what had happened, he pretty much told Harry that they weren't going to help any Death Eaters at St. Mungo's.  
  
"Harry looked at him for a second, pointed his wand at the guy and told him, I quote: 'Look, moron, these two persons have done more to destroy Voldemort's regime than you and your pathetic family put together. You are going to do everything in your power to save them, and then some. I killed Voldemort ten minutes ago. It would hardly be a bother to kill you and anyone else stupid enough to deny them medical care. If they die you die. Is that clear?'  
  
"By the time Harry was done with his little speech, the guy was a whimpering wreck at Harry's feet begging Harry to spare his life. After that, things went smoothly. They summoned the best healers from the hospital and began to work as fast as they could."  
  
"I didn't ...phf ... say... phf...that."  
  
"Don't speak with your mouth full," Lucius and Draco chorused.  
  
"Don't let him fool you, father. He did say those exact words. I remember thinking 'note to self: do not piss Harry off.'"  
  
"Well, you're not doing a very good job. I'm starting to get pissed off."  
  
"That's fine. With all the excitement during the battle I might have discovered my inner Gryffindor. I'm starting to find the appeal in living dangerously. Too bad I don't have my own Dark Lord trying to kill me," Draco commented mock-wistfully.  
  
"If you're not careful I might become your personal Dark Lord," Harry teased him.  
  
"Oh! Threats!" said Draco gleefully. "See, father, I told you he was getting good at those. Well, I'll leave the two of you alone. I'll go back to Severus before he wakes up. I want to be there when he starts complaining about everything, from the poor quality of the food to the incompetence of St. Mungo's Potions master. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."  
  
Lucius waited for his son to leave before he said, "He knows."  
  
"Well, I practically threatened to kill every worker in St. Mungo's if they failed to save your life. Furthermore, I clung to you as if you were my lifeline, which you are, all the time crying 'Lucius, Lucius, Lucius' in a manner that would have made Moaning Myrtle proud. I'm sure that there are better ways to keep a relationship secret," said Harry sarcastically.  
  
"Are you angry?" Harry asked, unsure. "I know that we hadn't talked much about telling others, but by now almost everybody knows. Ron and Hermione were very cross. They couldn't believe that I lied to them for over a year, first about the letters and then about you. Somehow the idea of me being with you upset them even more than the idea of me being with Draco ever did. I think Hermione only forgave me because I was depressed enough as it was. And Ron only did it because he was sure you were going to die, and then he wouldn't have to deal with you anyway."  
  
"Well, then I'm glad I'm still alive. I would hate to lose such a great opportunity to crush a Weasley's hope. And no, I'm not angry. I want everyone to know that you belong to me. That way they also know who they're messing with beforehand."  
  
A possessive Lucius was always a huge turn on for Harry. He hoped that his lover would get better soon. The worst part was over.  
  
A short while later Draco came back to let them know that Severus was awake. When he opened the door he found Harry and Lucius soundly asleep. Satisfied that his friend had at last decided to rest he transformed the chair Harry was sleeping on into a bed. He went back to Severus' room. It was time for him to pursue his own happiness. He just needed to convince a very stubborn Potions master that he was better off with him. 

* * *

  
  
"Ah! Lucius, please sit down. I'm glad you could find the time to visit. How are you feeling?" asked Dumbledore politely when Malfoy entered the room.  
  
"You already asked me that at the celebration party yesterday. How I'm feeling hasn't changed all that much since then," Lucius said without sitting down.  
  
"Do you want some tea?" Dumbledore asked, ignoring Lucius' sharp tone.  
  
"Headmaster, we both know that this is not a social call. You practically ordered me here. What is it you want?"  
  
"As you wish, let's get down to business then. First of all I wanted to thank you for your help during the war." Dumbledore raised a hand, stopping Malfoy from interrupting him. "Let me finish, then you can say what you have to say. Thanks to the information you provided many lives were saved. Besides, without you it would have taken much longer for the Order of the Phoenix to finally defeat Voldemort once and for all. I know you already heard all this during the celebration party yesterday when you received your Order of Merlin First Class. However I wanted to thank you personally once more.  
  
"And now I come to my reason for calling you here. I spoke with Harry yesterday and he informed me that the two of you have been together for some time now, actually since before the war ended. However, from my conversation with Harry I gathered that he isn't aware that this is his second relationship with you."  
  
Lucius' body tensed imperceptibly at that statement. "Well, that might be due to the fact that this is my first relationship with him."  
  
Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with hidden amusement. He opened one drawer in his desk. He took out an old piece of parchment and showed it to Lucius.  
  
With a superiority that only a Malfoy could pull off Lucius took it. His eyes widened slightly at its content. "Interesting piece of magic, it's a miracle that students are able to succeed in any of their pranks with a map like this in the teachers' possession," he said handing the map back with calculated ease.  
  
"As much as it pains me to admit it, this little piece of magic wasn't my idea, but the idea of some ex-students. Its original purpose, actually, was to pull off those pranks you were talking about," Dumbledore said. "And pull them off they did! I'm sure that you've heard of the Marauders even if they were a bit after your time. The map has only been in my possession for the last three years."  
  
"That's quite an interesting story. Nevertheless, I fail to see how it relates to me."  
  
"Patience is a virtue, my boy, we are coming to that," said Dumbledore imperturbably. "You see, one of the most interesting things about this map is that it recognises everyone, no matter what magical disguise they use. It could be an Invisibility Cloak, or maybe an Animagus transformation, or even, say, Polyjuice Potion. No matter what they do, it always shows the name of the real person, and his or her location in Hogwarts. Very useful indeed. You can imagine that after the tragic incident with the fake Moody three years ago I made a habit of checking this little map every day."  
  
"What do you want?" Malfoy's voice was hard, his whole body tense, like a snake ready to strike.  
  
"I don't want anything, Lucius. I knew you were impersonating your son a year ago. I didn't do anything about it because I wanted to find out what you wanted first. Besides, I hoped that after seeing all that power and dark magic could do for you, being reminded of the other things that life had to offer would do you some good. Sometimes we make decisions before being really aware of their long term consequences. When we realise the mistake it is often too late to do something about it. In your case it wasn't."  
  
"Malfoys don't make mistakes, Headmaster. You have explained your motivations for acting the way you did back then, no matter how purely sentimental they were. That doesn't explain why you are telling me this now. Once more I ask you, what is it you want?" Lucius right fist was clasped tightly around the snake's head of his cane.  
  
"Why don't you sit down? Then we can discuss this more calmly."  
  
"Just tell me, Dumbledore. Don't play the Gryffindor fool with me. We both know what you're truly capable of. You know that if it hadn't been for Harry I wouldn't have changed sides. You also know that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep him. Is it money you want? My promise I won't pursue a political career? What?"  
  
"Lucius, I don't want anything from you. I'm very happy that Harry could help you see the error of your ways when I couldn't. That's more than enough recompense for me."  
  
Lucius' mind was working fast, processing all the information, seeking hidden meanings, calculating actions and counteractions. And the conclusion was always the same. 'Dumbledore doesn't know. The old fool really believes that I regret my time as a Death Eater. He doesn't understand that I only betrayed the Dark Lord because he could never give me the one thing I wanted even more than power: a willing Harry.' Lucius relaxed. As long as Dumbledore didn't know the truth he didn't have anything to fear.  
  
"Do you plan to marry Harry?" asked Albus.  
  
Lucius was surprised at the sudden change of topic. He hadn't thought so far. After Harry broke up with him that first time, he had concentrated only on finding a way to win him back. One by one he had destroyed Harry's reasons for not wanting him: the relationship with his son, Lucius' support of Voldemort, Harry's claim of not knowing Lucius and the boy's lack of trust in him.  
  
Basking in the afterglow of being with Harry again, he hadn't questioned himself further about where he wanted to take their relationship in the future. Dumbledore's question was valid. And it had only one possible answer. Binding Harry magically to him would be the ultimate step in his quest to call the boy his own.  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
"That's wonderful, Lucius. However, you must understand that I can not allow you to lie to Harry like this. Not if you're planning to forge a lasting relationship with him."  
  
"Lie to him? I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean?"  
  
"Lucius, you must tell Harry the truth." Dumbledore's expression was suddenly very serious.  
  
"What truth?" Lucius asked with a sinking feeling.  
  
"That a year ago it was you he was sleeping with. That Draco let you impersonate him, so that you could gather information about the Hogwarts' wards. That this isn't the first time the two of you have been together. That he was the one who helped you see the wrongness of your actions as a Death Eater. That without him you would still be supporting Voldemort today." Dumbledore's face didn't leave room for arguments.  
  
"Are you insane? He would never understand it! He would never forgive me! I might lo... I might care about him, but I'm not blind enough to forget that he still is a Gryffindor. He would break up with me immediately, and all I've done so far would be for nothing. He can never learn the truth!" Lucius said furiously.  
  
"Not for nothing, Lucius, never for nothing. Many lives have been saved thanks to you. Besides, I think you're underestimating Harry's love. He will understand, maybe not immediately, but with time he will forgive you. Eventually, he will go back to you. You can't base a long-term relationship on half-truths and lies."  
  
"I am a Slytherin, Headmaster. My whole life is based on half-truth and lies. I have yet to find a problem with that."  
  
Lucius was furious. Dumbledore was asking the impossible of him. He still had branded in his mind Harry's expression of pure hate and contempt when he realized that Lucius wasn't really Draco. He had sworn to himself back then to do everything in his power to stop Harry from ever looking at him like that again. Everything.  
  
"I don't see a way around it, my boy. If you don't tell him, I'll be forced to tell him myself." The determination in Dumbledore's voice left no doubt about his intentions.  
  
"You can't be serious. If you tell him you would be admitting that even though you knew a renowned Death Eater was sleeping with him, you let it happen. What do you think Harry's reaction to that will be? He'll hate you too," Lucius said confident that he had just called the Headmaster's bluff.  
  
"Hate is such a strong word. He'll be disappointed and hurt, but with time he will forgive me, as he will forgive you. Of that I'm sure. Besides, I would have never let you harm him. Severus and I, we both kept a close eye on you," said Dumbledore.  
  
"Severus knows too?" asked Lucius with growing worry. Dumbledore he could deal with; Severus was a different matter.  
  
"No, he doesn't. He did suspect that someone was impersonating Draco back them, but I never confirmed it to him. On the contrary, I tried to get him to leave the two of you alone. Severus would never have approved of some of my methods," the Headmaster confessed with a self- deprecating smile. "He thought that it was the work of a random Death Eater, though. He did take delight in constantly telling me 'I told you so' when you sent the map with the wards' weaknesses, but after a while he let it be."  
  
Severus didn't know then, thought Lucius with satisfaction. That was one fewer problem. He just needed to convince Dumbledore to keep his mouth shut and everything would be all right.  
  
"I really don't think that telling Harry is necessary," said Lucius. "He doesn't need to know. What happened is in the past. You more than anyone shouldn't want Harry to know. I might, given time, be able to explain him why I did what I did. However, I don't know how you are going to explain to him that you whored him." "I did no such thing!" Dumbledore said angrily.  
  
"Really?" asked Lucius mockingly. "What do you call letting a sixteen year old student have sex with a well-known Death Eater, because you _hoped_ that if the student was good enough in bed, the Death Eater would repay you for your kindness with information about the Dark Lord's activities?"  
  
"I call it a gamble."  
  
"That's what I like about Light Wizards, you know? They call killing justice, manipulation a necessity and whoring a gamble. In the end the only difference between a Dark and a Light Wizard lies in semantics."  
  
"Lucius, you are overstepping your boundaries. I did what I had to do. At that time I thought it was the best course of action in the long term. And I was right. Harry will be angry with me; that's true. But I did it nevertheless, and I don't regret it. Thanks to it the Order gained very useful information. And in a way I always suspected that you would be as good for Harry as Harry would be for you."  
  
"Then why are you trying to destroy our relationship?" Lucius asked.  
  
"We both used Harry. I did it for what I call the greater good and you did it for your own personal reasons. But in the end we both used him. And he has the right to know. The least I can do is make sure that he does. It's not enough to compensate for what I did, but is all I have to offer," said Dumbledore sadly.  
  
"So, we come to the real reason. This is nothing more than your little quest for redemption," Lucius said. "Let me guess, you can't you sleep at night knowing that what you did to Harry is unforgivable. Instead of taking the sleepless nights as your due punishment, you decided that it would be much better to come clean and clear your conscience.  
  
"The fact that this little piece of information will break Harry's heart is not your concern, is it? By Salazar, you are as pathetically selfish as the worst of us. You just come up with better pretexts to hide it," Lucius finished angrily.  
  
"Maybe you're right. However, I feel that Harry would appreciate knowing the truth more than being lied to. If the price to pay is Harry never forgiving me, so be it. One thing is clear, though, if you don't tell him yourself, then I will," Albus said with grim determination.  
  
Lucius needed time to come up with an alternative solution. The only thing clear in his mind was that he wouldn't lose Harry again. With a stiff movement that belied Malfoy's usual grace he sat down in the chair in front of the Headmaster's desk. He regarded Albus like a trapped animal looking for a way out, aware of the dangers, but willing to fight its way to freedom, whatever the price. But no matter how much he tried to find other solutions, in the end there was only one thing he could do. It would hurt Harry, something he wanted to avoid at all costs, but Dumbledore wasn't giving him much of an option.  
  
"May I go back to that tea offer, please?" Lucius sighed in defeat. He could already picture Harry's green eyes filled with pain and unshed tears. His heart twisted. He quashed the feeling. It needed to be done. With time Harry would heal. He'd make sure of that.  
  
"Of course, Lucius, is black tea all right?" Dumbledore asked, already sure that this particular battle was almost over.  
  
"Yes, please."  
  
"Sugar and milk?"  
  
"No, thanks," Lucius answered. "Is there any way at all for me to convince you not to tell Harry about this?"  
  
"No, Lucius, there isn't."  
  
"Oh well! You can't blame me for trying," he said dejectedly. "Does anybody else know about this apart from you? It will be hard enough for Harry to learn the truth from me. I wouldn't want anyone else to use that information to hurt him."  
  
"I think you are misjudging Harry's friends. They would never hurt Harry intentionally. However, young people sometimes don't consider the impact of their words. I fully understand your concern. Don't worry, nobody knows about this besides me, you and Draco."  
  
"Draco? Oh! Of course, he knows that I was impersonating him, that's right," Lucius hurried to amend. After all, the Headmaster didn't know that Draco had had his memories changed. "Well, he won't tell anyone about it," Lucius said, and added silently to himself 'I already took care of it. It's time for me to do the same with you.'  
  
Lucius reached into a hidden pocket in his cloak and took one of his ever present boxes of Every Flavour Beans. He offered it to the Headmaster with a nonchalant gesture.  
  
"I've been told by Severus that you are rather fond of sweets. Help yourself, please."  
  
"Actually, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans are the only exception to that rule. I happened to get a vomit-flavoured one in my youth and it put me off them. I did try again some years later, but got earwax. As you can see, I'm not really very lucky where Bertie Bott's Beans are concerned," Dumbledore said dejectedly.  
  
"Well, the third time is the charm. Besides, you have nothing to fear. These beans are custom-made, one of the perks of being extremely rich." Malfoy's lips twitched in a self-satisfied smirk. "Here," said Lucius offering two dark brown beans to the Headmaster, "these are one of my favourites."  
  
"I imagine I'm safe then," Albus said, his eyes twinkling. He took one of the beans. Dumbledore waited for Lucius to eat the other bean, before chewing his with a wary expression. "Chocolate!" he said happily, like a child who had received an unexpected present.  
  
Lucius sipped his tea with a serious expression. "I will tell Harry the truth, but not immediately."  
  
"Lucius, that's really not..."  
  
"Wait, let me finish. I'm just asking for one day. Once I tell him, it will probably take him years to forgive me, if he ever does. I know you think he will, but it's not in my nature to be overly optimistic. Just one day to last me for the years to come. It's not much to ask. If by tomorrow I haven't told him, then you are free to tell him the truth."  
  
"Very well, Lucius. One day only. If by tomorrow you haven't told him, I will intervene."  
  
"Thank you, Headmaster. One more thing before I leave, though. Please don't tell anyone about the real reason behind my visit. I think Harry would be less hurt if he didn't know that I was forced into telling him the truth. It wouldn't be a lie, just an omission. If you tell anyone... well, you know Hogwarts. These things have a way of getting around quickly, when more than two persons are involved. I'm asking this for Harry, he has already suffered enough."  
  
"Very well, Lucius. I won't tell anyone about it. However, if you don't tell him yourself, I will be forced to tell Harry everything, including the real reason behind your visit."  
  
"I wouldn't have expected anything else," commented Lucius dryly.  
  
"Good bye, Mr. Malfoy. And good luck."  
  
Lucius walked past the Anti-Apparating barriers of Hogwarts and Disapparated directly to Diagon Alley. He entered Gringotts as if he owned the place, which he almost did. He asked one of the Goblins in charge of his personal vaults to bring him a very specific item that had been in his family for generations.  
  
While he waited for the clerk to come back he searched in one of his Bertie Bott's boxes for a yellow looking bean. With no small satisfaction he ate it. When the Goblin came back, Lucius took the small package and left the bank. Once outside he Disapparated to Malfoy Manor. 

* * *

  
  
Lucius entered the Manor's library with confidence. Nothing in his appearance betrayed his inner turmoil. He spotted his lover sitting in a corner reading one of the many books. A fleeting smile crossed his lips. He approached him silently, once more entranced by his sheer beauty.  
  
"Hallo, love! Enjoying the library?" he asked smiling, all worries forgotten at the sight of his chosen life mate.  
  
"Lucius, you're back. How did the meeting with Dumbledore go? What did he want?"  
  
"Shouldn't you answer my question first? Never mind. The meeting went well. The old man just wanted to thank me for my assistance during the war. Sentimental Gryffindor fool he is!"  
  
"Hey! No mocking the Gryffindors! What took you so long then?" Harry asked, not really convinced.  
  
"I went to Diagon Alley afterwards. There was something I needed to get out of Gringotts. It took more time than expected. And don't even ask. It's a surprise. One I will give you tonight."  
  
"But Lucius, you know how curious I am. You can't expect me to wait until tonight," Harry pouted, trying to get Lucius to yield. Malfoy smiled at his antics, but didn't budge. Then Lucius kissed him until all thoughts vanished from Harry's head.  
  
"In that case I will have to find other ways to keep you entertained," Lucius said in a lascivious voice that made Harry hard immediately. "I'm going to give you a tour around the Manor."  
  
Lucius laughed once more at Harry's disappointed face. It was a rich deep laugh, one that Harry hadn't heard before. He liked it. A lot. He promised himself to make Lucius laugh like that more often.  
  
Malfoy Manor was very old. It was actually two centuries older than Hogwarts. In the time of Salazar Slytherin the Malfoys had been known as one of the oldest pure-blood families. Dark Lords came and went; new families were created and old ones destroyed; the Malfoys, however, had remained.  
  
Traditions and knowledge had been passed down from father to son, generation after generation. Draco had told Harry once that not even his mother had ever been privy to those family secrets; something Narcissa had never been able to forgive Lucius for.  
  
When Lucius told Harry that he would be given a guided tour of the Manor he had never expected Lucius to explain to him the history behind every room and portrait they saw. In one day Harry learned more about the history of the wizarding world, than in seven years of suffering through Professor Binns' classes.  
  
He was enthralled by Lucius' sensual voice, by his profound knowledge, by traditions and stories so old that it was a miracle they were remembered at all: family feuds that ended in full out wars, slavery, kidnappings, betrayals, murders, suicides, political conspiracies, revolutionary discoveries in every magical field, intrigues, blackmail, failures and successes.  
  
The stories were at times sad, at times dark, at times passionate, and most of the time full of blood, desire and ambition. Nevertheless, there was one thing that they all had in common. They belied the cold facade that the Malfoys presented to the wizarding world. The icy exterior and the cruel silver eyes served only to hide a passion that once unleashed knew no boundaries.  
  
He wondered if the Weasleys remembered that one of their ancestors about seven hundred years ago had kidnapped and raped Serena Malfoy. Did Ron know that Flavius Malfoy was the man responsible for the economic ruin of the Weasleys, which had started four centuries ago? He doubted if any of them had ever connected Flavius' actions with the kidnapping of Serena three hundred years earlier.  
  
Lucius had explained that in Serena Malfoy's time the Weasleys had been politically more influential that the Malfoys. Any retaliation back then would have been useless or too dangerous. However, the need for revenge had been passed down from father to son. Flavius had been the one to give the final stroke, but during those three hundred years in between every Malfoy had worked in his own way to gradually erode the Weasleys' power. Even Lucius, who lived seven centuries after the Serena incident, was still committed to stopping the Weasleys from ever becoming as powerful as they once had been.  
  
The exploration of the Manor took them the whole day. During dinner Lucius had answered every one of Harry's questions regarding what he had heard that day. Lucius had left Harry alone in the library afterwards, to think things over. Of the many traditions Lucius had mentioned that day, there was one that was branded into Harry's mind. Nobody outside of the family was privy to the Malfoys' secrets. The only persons without Malfoy blood that had ever learned about them were those chosen as Malfoys' life mates. In their own way they were already family.  
  
He knew what Lucius had been asking him with that tour. He knew that no matter what his answer was Lucius would never let him go. Even if he had to keep him prisoner in the West Wing of the Manor as Divius Malfoy had done with his lover four hundred years previously.  
  
Their love that night had been passionate, bordering almost on despair. Lucius' silver eyes had burned through him like hot metal, trying to read Harry's innermost thoughts. Harry used his hands, his lips and his body to show Lucius his feelings. The answer to the question was clear in Harry's mind. There was only one possible answer. Yes.  
  
Usually, Lucius enjoyed letting go of his otherwise unbreakable control when he was in bed with Harry. He loved to see his younger lover take over in their lovemaking. He liked to watch Harry relishing his darker side. It was a part of the Gryffindor that very few people had ever seen. It was a part of Harry that belonged exclusively to Lucius. That night, however, Lucius was the one in control.  
  
His kisses branded Harry, leaving him needy and weak. His hands were everywhere, awakening new sensations, demanding Harry's surrender, destroying any doubts he might have left, conquering his soul, claiming him. All Lucius demanded Harry gave. His back arched to gain more of Lucius' heat. His muscles quivered in anticipation and pent up desire. His broken and husky voice --interrupted by moans and pants-- begged for more. He offered Lucius everything he had: body, heart, mind and soul. Yours. Yours. Yours.  
  
Lucius parted Harry's legs with trembling hands. His silver eyes monitored each one of his lover's reactions, while he waited for the right moment.  
  
Harry's world exploded in a kaleidoscope of colours when Lucius entered him. He wasn't even aware of his body going wild beneath Lucius. As if from a great distant he could heard Lucius chanting in a language he didn't understand, voice rough but sure, each one of his thrusts serving as anchor for the spell's binding.  
  
Harry's mind wandered in and out of consciousness. Lucius' left hand was tracing complicated patterns over his skin, using Harry's cum as ink. Not once did he cease the steady pounding into his lover's willing flesh. Harry felt himself starting to harden again. His magic stirred like a brewing storm. Every time Lucius hit that hidden spot inside him his control grew thinner and thinner.  
  
He whimpered incoherently when Lucius grasped his aching cock with a firm hand. He opened his eyes and drowned in the image of Lucius rocking inside him. The long blond hair of his lover covered his face, giving him the look of a fallen angel. Harry wasn't really sure when he had closed his eyes, or how much time had passed since then. It could have been seconds or hours.  
  
Harry's body was surrounded by a red and gold mist that turned to a very dark shade of green around the edges. He recognised it immediately: it was the physical materialisation of his magical power. Lucius was covered by a similar haze, but his was a mixture of forest green and the purest of silver.  
  
Harry's eyes searched Lucius' and it was like drowning in a pool of quicksilver. He could sense his and Lucius' magic becoming one, just as his and Lucius' minds were. Suddenly, Harry's perception shifted and his hips were the ones thrusting into pliant flesh. His pale aristocratic hands traced well known patterns on the golden flesh of his lover.  
  
As in a dream Harry saw the smaller body thrashing uncontrollably under him. He saw green eyes looking back at him glazed over with a blend of desperate love, innocence, hunger and exhaustion. He was flabbergasted at his strong feelings towards the boy, Harry. His Harry. Possessiveness, protectiveness, desire, need, and a love so strong that it bordered on obsession, he would do anything in his power to keep his Harry safe, to keep him at his side forever. And when his power wasn't enough, he would find new ways to increase it. Nothing and no one would keep him away from what was his.  
  
Harry's hands tightened around his lover's thighs. With renewed force he sped up his thrusting. He would bind his lover to him for ever, even beyond death. Light magic, dark magic, it didn't really matter as long as it served his purpose. His lips chanted a powerful life binding spell in old Gaelic. With astonishment he realised that he had been chanting the spell all along. He heard another voice pronouncing the spell together with him. His Harry. It didn't really surprise him that his Harry knew a spell that had been a family secret for centuries. He was Lucius just as Lucius was Harry.  
  
The chanting was reaching its peak. The last remainders of his hard kept control shattered. Around them red and gold merged with silver and green until it was impossible to say where one ended and the other began. Magic soared around them with breathtaking intensity. Their bodies were lifted from the bed, while around them the magic destroyed and remade everything, in a never-ending display of raw power.  
  
Silver and green fought for supremacy like lightning, wind and rain in the middle of a storm. Red and gold consumed and burned everything in its way like lava. In the end it was both: hurricane and volcano.  
  
He was Lucius, coming inside his lover, marking him, claiming him. At the same time he was Harry. He felt his lover's hard thrusts deep within himself as well as the hot seed that branded him better than any magical binding ever could. When the first spasms of their climaxes shook him, he screamed his lover's name or his own name, maybe both. He wasn't sure. The magic surrounding them exploded. They screamed, not even sure if it was in pain or pleasure. Among the chaos engulfing everything their bodies fell back to the bed unconscious. 

* * *

  
  
Harry came back to himself slowly. Lucius was looking at him, the smile illuminating his face, a strong contrast to the worry in his eyes. Harry looked around expecting to find total devastation. The room was intact, though, almost eerie in its silence. He didn't have enough strength left to wonder for how long he had been out of it.  
  
"Are you okay?" Lucius asked in a hushed voice. When Harry nodded, his posture relaxed. He traced the contours of his lover's lips with lazy fingers, moving up to the velvety skin of the cheeks. Harry leaned into the caress sighing happily.  
  
"You aren't angry," Lucius stated, although his eyes betrayed his surprise.  
  
"No," Harry assured him unnecessarily. His voice was raspy and his throat hurt from too much screaming. "I wasn't really expecting a magical binding, but it doesn't bother me. On the contrary, I... I never thought that you would want such level of commitment. With Narcissa you never..."  
  
"Don't compare yourself to her, love. She was a convenience; you on the other hand are a deeply ingrained need. I couldn't liv... I will never let you go. I love you too much for that. You know that, don't you?"  
  
"Yes, I know. I love you too. I don't want you to let me go either. For a moment there I knew how you felt. I was you. It was the most incredible experience in my life. Did you... did you feel me as well?" Harry asked, suddenly unsure.  
  
"Yes, I did. It was... There are really no words for it," Lucius answered. Then he kissed Harry. It was a long, sweet, tender kiss that conveyed his feelings better than words ever could. "Wait here. I have something for you." He moved around the bed and opened one of the drawers in his nightstand.  
  
"This is why I went to Gringotts. It has been in our family from the beginning. I want you to have it," Lucius said giving Harry a very small platinum box.  
  
Harry's heart skipped a beat when he heard Lucius say 'our family'. When he saw the small box however, it started beating so fast and hard that he was sure Lucius could hear it. He took the box with trembling fingers, hoping that it was what he thought, fearing that it wasn't. Green eyes bored into Lucius full of hope, fear and vulnerability.  
  
"Aren't you going to open it?" asked Lucius with an amused, almost condescending smile, although Harry could discern a hint of expectation.  
  
Very slowly Harry opened the box. There wasn't any ring inside. Harry's disappointment tasted bitter in his mouth. He kept his eyes trained on the small silver snake with two emeralds for eyes, trying in vain to keep back his tears. He didn't want Lucius to see him cry. It had been silly of him to hope anyway. When his fingers touched the snake, it began to move. Harry gasped in surprise.  
  
Curiously he touched it again. The silver snake slithered towards him. It climbed his hand using Harry's index finger as support. Then it continued to glide until it reached his ring finger. Slowly it curled around the base. The snake bit the end of its own tail with its mouth, forming a perfect circle. After that it continued moving for a while until it settled in a comfortable position. Then it remained still.  
  
Harry laughed happily, pain completely forgotten in the light of the unexpected development. He shouldn't have doubted Lucius to begin with. He gave a small cry of joy and hugged Lucius, kissing him passionately. Lucius smiled indulgently, knowing perfectly well what Harry's first reaction to his present had been.  
  
"I take it that you do want to marry me, after all. There was a moment there when I wasn't too sure about it," he teased.  
  
"You prat! How was I supposed to know that the snake would turn itself into a ring?" Harry asked indignantly.  
  
Lucius laughed again, that warm laugh that made Harry's heart beat faster.  
  
"Maybe because you're a wizard. You should know better than to take things at face value. Nothing is what it seems in the wizarding world." Lucius then proceeded to kiss him with possessiveness and determination, as if to erase any possible doubts that Harry could have still left regarding his love.  
  
"We should sleep now. Tomorrow we will go to Hogwarts and ask Dumbledore to make the union official. The whole world will know that you belong to me," said Lucius, encircling his younger lover with his arms.  
  
Harry smiled and shifted closer to him, letting his lover's heartbeat lull him to sleep. Life was good. Tomorrow he would share his happiness with his friends. His last thought before falling asleep was of Draco's face when he found out that Harry was now officially his stepfather. 

* * *

  
  
However, Lucius and Harry's wedding didn't take place the next day. They arrived at Hogwarts mid-morning to find everything in uproar. There were Aurors and ministry officials everywhere. The classrooms were empty. The professors were nowhere to be seen. The children were gathered in small groups. Most of the girls and some of the smaller boys were crying heartbrokenly, while the older students tried to console them with sombre expressions on their faces.  
  
Harry didn't bother to ask anyone what had happened. Instead he broke into a mad dash towards the Headmaster's office, his foreboding increasing with every step. Lucius followed him at a more dignified speed. The stairs that led to Dumbledore's chambers were open. Harry could hear voices coming from Albus' office. He recognised Arthur Weasley's and Severus' voices.  
  
Inside there were several Aurors, some he recognised from the war, others he didn't. Whatever discussion they were having ceased with his arrival. Harry turned his gaze towards Severus. The Potions master usual expressionless face showed deep signs of grief; even his ever-present evil smirk was gone, and the corners of his mouth had a certain edge that made Harry think of despair.  
  
"What's going on here? Where is Dumbledore?" Harry asked, his mind on the verge of making the connection but fearing its consequences at the same time.  
  
Snape didn't answer him. He just looked at Harry with a blank expression on his face. For a second they shared a moment of profound understanding. Severus opened his mouth as if to say something but then thought better of it. He averted his eyes in defeat.  
  
"No! No! It can't be! It's not true! You're lying! Tell me you're lying!" Harry screamed at Severus. Strong arms surrounded him in a protective embrace. He fought against the constraint, but the arms only held him tighter. There was a familiar voice coming from very far away, telling him that it was all right, that everything would be fine.  
  
Nothing was fine, though. Dumbledore was dead. Even if his mouth denied it, Harry knew it to be true. His knees swayed, unable to support him, but the arms holding him stopped him from falling. He was turned around and his face was pressed to a powerful chest clad in expensive silk. He felt hands running soothingly down his hair and back. A warm voice kept telling him that he would never be alone, that he could let go, because the owner of the voice would always be there to catch Harry.  
  
Harry heard broken sobs and with dismay realised that they were coming from him. He hated crying in public, but couldn't stop himself. He buried his face deeper in that chest, and let the voice and the sandalwood essence soothe him.  
  
"How did it happen?" Lucius asked Severus, shifting Harry in his arms to a more comfortable position.  
  
"He died in his sleep. I came here this morning to see why he hadn't gone to breakfast. He was in his bed. My first thought was that the old coot had decided to sleep in for once," Snape laughed a bit at that, although Lucius didn't fail to hear the slight hysterical edge. "I called him, and when he didn't respond I shook him. He was cold and stiff. It was then that I realised that he wasn't breathing at all. I... I tried to do magic... bring him back to life, but... there was nothing... I... nothing," Severus finished looking at Lucius desperately. It reminded him of the small boy Severus had been when he arrived at Hogwarts for the first time in Lucius' seventh year. Just as he had then Lucius felt the irrational urge to protect him.  
  
Lucius needed to take control of the situation. Severus was clearly in no condition to do so. He had never suspected that the Headmaster's death would distress his friend so much. There wasn't time for second guessing his actions, though. Besides, it wasn't as if he had been given much of an option in this whole mess. Harry was crying silently against his shoulder. He cursed Dumbledore under his breath once more. This whole situation was entirely the old man's fault. He should have left things alone. Then none of this would have happened.  
  
"Severus, I need you to take Harry to your chambers. I'm afraid the news has affected him rather strongly. Could I ask you to keep an eye on him meanwhile?" Once Severus and Harry were taken care of, he could deal with the Ministry, the press and the Aurors.  
  
Severus was too proud to admit that he wasn't in any condition to deal with the situation. He probably would have been able to put his pain aside until all problems had been solved, but with Lucius here there wasn't any need for that. Lucius knew his friend better than most. Severus would be happy to have an excuse to go back to his dungeons to mourn alone, or almost. Contrary to popular belief Harry's presence would be a welcome one.  
  
Lucius handed Harry over to Severus. And Harry went with him without protesting; he was still too caught up by the devastating news to really care about what was happening. Lucius' first move was to fire-talk with his son, asking him to come as soon as possible. Draco didn't care for the old fool either, but he did care a great deal for Severus and for Harry. His son could keep an eye on those two, make sure they ate something and rested. That way he could concentrate on dealing with other problems as they arose.  
  
Lucius was settling the final arrangement for the funeral when the results of the magical autopsy arrived. It was a formality to conduct one, if the deceased was younger than two hundred, as in Dumbledore's case. The diagnosis was natural death due to heart failure. No magical or chemical substances were found in the Headmaster's blood stream or in his aura. Lucius smiled with satisfaction; a job well done. Not that he had been expecting anything else. 

* * *

  
  
The funeral turned into a huge event. Almost everyone from the British wizarding community assisted, as well as many renowned wizards and witches from around the world. The tomb was to be protected by a big marble statue of a sleeping dragon. It was meant to honour Dumbledore's revolutionary discovery of the twelve uses of dragon blood.  
  
On the base of the statue Hogwarts' motto was engraved in red and golden letters: _'Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus'_. It was a magical protection to keep Dumbledore's spirit resting in peace forever. At the same time it was an acknowledgement of the many years of his life which the Headmaster had dedicated to the famous school of wizardry.  
  
Instead of flowers people had brought sweets, knowing that the old wizard would appreciate them more on his journey to the afterworld. A thousand different kinds of sweets were thrown into the magically enlarged grave, before the spell that would cover it with earth was cast. Finally the stone dragon, which had been regarding the proceedings with interest, found a comfortable position on its pedestal and went to sleep. A small even puff of smoke signalled his every breath.  
  
Lucius had arranged for a carriage to take him and Harry back to the Manor. His lover was in no emotional condition to Apparate. A Portkey would have been the ideal solution, but he knew how much Harry hated those.  
  
Harry watched with dead eyes the trees rushing by. Malfoy carriages were faster than any Muggle race-car could ever dream of being. However, from the inside the only proof of that was the blurred landscape. Charms and spells annihilated any jolts the carriage might suffer, while silencing charms stopped the wind's noise from bothering the peace of its occupants.  
  
Lucius moved his fingers in slow patterns through Harry's hair, mindful not to disturb the head resting on his left shoulder. His future husband's eyes were red and swollen from crying. In Lucius' opinion he looked breathtakingly beautiful.  
  
"I can't really believe he's dead," said Harry in a small voice. It was the first time he had spoken since his breakdown at the Headmaster's office. "It all seems so surreal. Yesterday we were planning to ask him to officiate for us and today... I think a part of me expected him to be immortal or something. For as long as I can remember knowing about the wizarding world he has been there. Now he isn't any more. Do you think Snape is going to be all right? He seemed pretty shaken too."  
  
Lucius couldn't help but smile. It was so typically Harry to worry about others, even when his own world was crumbling. It was a Gryffindor characteristic that he would despise in anybody else, but in Harry it only looked endearing. He loved Harry because of his virtues _and_ because of his defects, not despite of them. Although he was certain that his definitions of virtues and defects differed extremely from that of his lover.  
  
"Don't worry about Severus. He will be all right. He's survived worse and so have you for that matter. Besides, I've already spoken with the other School Governors. They have agreed to my suggestion of appointing Severus as the new Headmaster of Hogwarts. He will submerge himself into work as he's done before, and before you're even aware of it, he'll be back to his snarky self."  
  
"Gryffindor will never win the House Cup as long as he is Headmaster," said Harry, torn between happiness for his friend and dejection at his old House's predicament.  
  
"Well, you can hardly blame Severus for Gryffindor incompetence," Lucius commented with superiority.  
  
"Don't tease the Gryffindor, L. It's been empirically demonstrated that it has atrocious consequences for your sex life," Harry said in a tired voice. Lucius was elated at the small banter. His Harry was already on his way to recovery. Lucius just needed to be there for him.  
  
"I'll miss him, L. I will miss him so much," Harry said sadly.  
  
"I know love and for that I'm very sorry. I don't like to see you hurting." He kissed the top of Harry's head and continued playing with the black silky strands of hair.  
  
"Whose idea was it to throw sweets instead of flowers?"  
  
"Severus' actually. I was rather surprised about it myself, but everybody said that it would be more fitting," Lucius answered him.  
  
"Yeah, I think so too. He loved all sweets. What kind did you use? I wasn't really paying attention to it before."  
  
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans," Lucius answered nonchalantly.  
  
Harry didn't see the cruel smile that crossed his lips. "He hated those, you know? He told me once that he always got the foul-tasting ones."  
  
"Yes, Bertie Bott's Beans can be very risky, but I like that about them. No matter what you do, they always manage to get the better of you sooner or later," Lucius commented.  
  
"As Malfoys do?" asked Harry teasingly.  
  
"Yes, exactly as Malfoys do," he said truthfully, fully aware that Harry would never understand the real meaning behind his statement. "Why don't you try to rest for a while? We've just entered the Malfoys' grounds; it will be at least an hour until we are at the Manor."  
  
"Okay," Harry agreed, closing his eyes and relaxing under Lucius' caresses.  
  
Lucius kept petting Harry's head with a pleased smile on his face. He had learned many interesting things that day. The Ministry officials wanted to dismiss Fudge. His denials of Voldemort's return had only served to discredit him utterly in front of his colleagues and the wizarding population in general. In two months a new election campaign would be launched; an election campaign in which Lucius had every intention of participating.  
  
With his power, his money and his relations he had no doubt about who the next Minister of Magic would be. He owned the Daily Prophet as well as Witch Weekly. That would help sway public opinion in his favour. In addition, he was now, together with Harry, Severus and the deceased Dumbledore, one of the so called _War Heroes_. No other wizard or witch had such favourable odds.  
  
Moreover, with the Boy Who Lived To Killed Voldemort as his husband, the majority of the wizarding world would vote for him. The remaining wizards, those interested in Dark Magic and purity of blood would vote for him any way.  
  
Life looked very promising. He would very soon achieve all the dreams he had had when he was younger: mastery of potions and the dark arts, political influence, the recognition of his peers, money and power. As if that wasn't enough, he already owned the one thing that was more important than all those others put together. The one thing of whose existence he hadn't even been aware of at the time he first formulated his future plans: Harry Potter.  
  
He had already succeeded in doing what Lord Voldemort, one of the most powerful wizards who ever lived, had failed to do during his life. He had killed Dumbledore and conquered the Boy Who Lived. He looked at his future husband sleeping trustingly in his arms and an overwhelming happiness filled him. Life was great indeed when your name was Lucius Malfoy.  
  
El FIN  
  
  
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End file.
